Pokémon: Delta Sun and Theta Moon
by SkittleBoxx
Summary: Four islands, three Trainers, two legends, and one grand adventure! A highly anime-inspired journey through the Alola region with riveting rivalries, captivating contests, and an Island Trial inspired Pokémon League Conference! A quest between friends to reach the Moon and shine like the Sun! Updates whenever possible.
1. Prologue & 1

Pokemon Delta Sun and Theta Moon

Written by SkittleBoxx

Prologue

* * *

Hearthome City. A developing, bustling city set in the very heart of the Sinnoh region. With so many people and so many places to go, it's almost like the city is the beating heart of the whole region. Battles, contest, friends, fashion... you name it, Hearthome City has it. Any traveler would stay in the city for awhile, due to the many businesses that accommodate to Trainers and Coordinators. Those lucky enough to reside in Hearthome City have it great- all the relaxation mixed in with the hustle and bustle of one of the largest cities in the Sinnoh region have great reason to say that they would never move from their home.

But as everyone knows, there are some exceptions in life that don't necessarily agree with you.

* * *

 _"And what a beautiful move! But that's what we would only expect at the Sinnoh Grand Festival semifinal rounds!"_

"Cindy, turn the TV off."

 _"Now, Ponyta! Use Stomp on Chimchar!"_

"Cindy, listen to your mother."

 _"Oh, I don't think so! Staravia, get Chimchar on your back and soar outta there!"_

"Cindy. I'm going to turn this TV off if you don't stop watching it."

 _"Right where I want you! Pichu, fire a Thunderbolt straight at those two! We can't lose in the Grand-"_

 _Click!_

With the press of a button, the TV's screen went pitch black. The ginger-haired girl sprawled out on the couch took note with a groan. "Ugh, Mom! This was the Grand Festival I was watching!" She turned over and managed to get onto her knees while raising her hands up in a feeble attempt to retrieve the remote. "Give it back!"

"Not until you actually listen to your mother, this is important, Cindy," she responded with a stern face. "Once me and Dad have talked to you I'll give you the remote back."

Cindy crossed her arms and put her stocking clad feet where they belonged, the floor. She looked to where her mother stood, where her father had joined by her side. She simply sat there, waiting for her parents to speak, but more likely for the TV remote to return to her.

It was some time before her father spoke. "So, Cindy... you know how I've been looking for a new job after my old job's company closed down. And your mother... working as a helper in a PokeMart does give us money, but not as much as we want to ensure you have the future we want for you." He looked to his wife and set a hand on her shoulder. "We want our whole family to have the lives we want, and it's very important to you. Ever since you turned fifteen, your future is coming closer and closer every day. I don't know how many times I'll have to reiterate this point... but me and your mother want the absolute best for you."

"Uhuh." The youngest in the room simply picked at her nails, the minute traces of dirt lodged behind her fingernails no more.

"And I really want to help this family earn more. Whatever you may be dreaming of for your future, I want you to be able to pursue it. Like your father, I want- no, I need the best for you. You're important to me. You're so, _so_ important. You're my daughter, I have to give you everything I have to make sure that you're happy." Her mother sighed. "It wasn't easy coming to this decision, based on how much you love Hearthome City..."

"Yep. Totally." Cindy moved to the small braid she had done that morning and mentally debated whether she would redo it later.

"So, me and your mother have come to a conclusion. To help all three of us," her father continued.

"Uhuh. Right." Cindy tapped her toes on the carpeted ground while she imagined herself not in the conversation she was jailed in and probably watching the Grand Festival on TV. She was probably missing the battle. The battle that was in progress was probably long over.

Her mother offered a loving smile. "Well, you don't seem as upset as I thought you would. You're really tough-skinned as always."

"Yeeeeep."

"Okay!" her father exclaimed. "Make sure to pack your bags later this week, we're moving!"

If Cindy were sipping a drink, that drink would've gone all over. However, she had no drink, so her widened blue eyes told the story. A long sharp gasp pieced the previously calm atmosphere of a serious conversation. She opened her mouth to attempt to say something, but no words were forming, let alone rushing to her mouth. Her head slowly swiveled over to her parents, who were both smiling with those motherly or fatherly grins.

"..what," she finally managed.

She saw a paper brochure handed to her, to which she took into her slightly-tanned hands. On the front of the brochure was an image of some islands and some text that would make a better sales pitch on a postcard. The jubilant text read 'WELCOME TO THE ALOLA REGION!' in font that was as bubbly as a Pokemon's Bubble Beam attack.

She opened the paper flaps, to which more happy text greeted her. Images of people and unknown Pokemon to her. There was a boy with a wooden charm settled around his neck, some crystal-like pieces set into it. A girl with a case with the Pokemon Contest logo, the case boasting five colorful Ribbons in the velvet. It read something about a League challenge or a Pokemon Contest challenge. The last section had a beautifully tanned man with a lab coat slung around his shoulders, yet he had no shirt. He had a owl-like creature on his extended arm, and he was smiling at her while adjusting his sunglasses.

Upon turning the parchment over, there was a picture of the shining ocean and many kids and families at play. A nicely decorated sandcastle that looked almost living was in the background, and one of the kids was throwing a dark grey lump with pink spikes into the direction of the ocean. In the sky, Wingull and other bird Pokemon flew. The last picture she noted was the nighttime sky, the happy bubble text proclaiming that this place had the best nighttime sky in the entire world. She finally shook her head to remove some ginger locks that fell in front of her still shocked eyes and focused on her parents.

"W-what...? But..." She sighed, although the exhale was slightly shaky. "But I love Hearthome City! I can't leave!" She stood up and paced around. "I have friends, and I like watching the Hearthome Contest every year it goes live! A-and my friends..." Cindy grabbed her hair and groaned into it. "I hate this already! We're _not_ moving to Aloha-Whatsit!"

Her father sighed, then set a hand on her shoulder. "I was figuring you would react like this..." He looked at his daughter, then smiled. "But there's one thing me and your mother have agreed on when we make the move to Alola." He took the brochure from Cindy and flipped it over back to the side with the man, the boy, and the girl. He specifically pointed to the picture of the girl with black hair and the baggy shirt with the canine-like Pokemon. "Here. Read this aloud."

Cindy merely rolled her eyes, but then complied and cleared her throat. "Ahem... let's see. Start your Pokemon Contest adventure in Alola... collect your five Ribbons that tell your unique story as a Pokemon Coordinator... and enter the Alola Grand Festival and become an Alola Top Coordinator...?!" She looked up at her parents, who were now beaming. "You mean... I... you're going to let me..."

"Yep!" her mother affirmed. "We're really sorry that you have to leave Hearthome... but in compromise..." She ruffled her daughter's ginger hair. "As soon as you get to Alola, you're going straight to the Pokemon Professor's lab to get your first Pokemon. We're going to let you become a Pokemon Coordinator!"

 _"WHAAAAAAAAAAT?!"_ the youngest literally screamed. She simply stood as still as a statue, but then began to hop up and down rapidly while making high-pitched squealing noises. "Oh my Arceus, thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" She hugged both of her parents and rushed upstiars in what seemed like less than a second.

The father laughed to himself quietly. "There's our little girl... I guess she's really excited to become a Coordinator-"

Before he could finish, Cindy rushed downstairs with an already packed red suitcase. The zipper was already tagged with some scrawly writing, reading 'Alola, where ever we're going'. Cindy smiled at her parents and giggled. "Okay! Let's go and make me a Top Coordinator!"

Her father approached his daughter and laughed, then bent down and took a pencil. He erased some words and replaced them with 'Celestiluna City, Alola'. He stood back up and laughed. "We're leaving for Alola in about a week, so you can spend some more quality time packing."

"And I think you wanted this back," her mother said as she handed the TV remote back to her daughter.

Cindy took the remote into her hands, then nodded and went back to the couch. She turned her TV back on, an interview with one of the Coordinators in the semifinal round she was skimmed out of being conducted. She stared at the screen for a little while longer, then a smile appeared on her face.

"One day, that's gonna be me." She shook her head and laughed. "Alola Top Coordinator title, you can't hide from me."

* * *

 **Chapter 1: The Dream Begins in Alola!**

* * *

 _From Sinnoh to Alola, a move days in the making. After the hastle of the drive to the airport and the airport system, Cindy and her family are ready to make their grand move to the Alola region! With the promise of becoming a Pokemon Coordinator, Cindy is nothing more than excited! What dreams will await in Alola?_

* * *

A plane whizzed by the cottony clouds. That is, if you could really see the clouds due to the sun's absence in the sky. The stars were numerous and plentiful in the sky, and if you could look far down, the ocean would be below, waving hello.

In the plane, Cindy's nose was pressed against the glass along with her hands. The Alola brochure was sitting pretty in her lap, and the blanket set on her legs was almost disregarded as it made a reach towards the airplane's floor. Her eyes moved rapidly to the sights outside, from the stars to the barely visible clouds, then back to the shining stars.

She felt a hand settle on her shoulder. When she looked over her shoulder, she saw her mother. "Cindy, you're still awake?"

"Yeah," she responded, albeit very tiredly. "I'm just so excited to become a Coordinator. I can't settle down if it means that when we touch down in Alola I'm going to become Alola's next Top Coordinator!" She sighed with a smile as she leaned back. "I can't sleep. I'm just too excited."

Her mother laughed. "Well, I'm going to assure that you'll fall asleep soon, Cindy. You've never been a night Noctowl." She removed her hand from her daughter's shoulder and leaned back for herself. "But try and fall asleep soon. We'll be unpacking first thing when we get into our new home, and you're not leaving to get your first Pokemon without at least getting your boxes into your room. You want to have enough energy to do that so you can go out and do contest. Understood?"

Cindy smiled while she resumed smudging the already slightly dirty glass. "Understood, mom."

As her mother closed her eyes to catch those forty winks, Cindy remained at her post near the window. _'Every second, I'm coming closer to Alola. Every second, I'm coming closer to becoming a Coordinator. And every second, I'm coming closer to becoming an Alola Top Coordinator!'_ She smiled at the thoughts her mind was playing for her. _'Feeling a little tired... maybe I'll dream of becoming Alola Top Coordinator...'_ Cindy felt her eyelids become heavy and her face separate with the glass that needed a desperate cleaning. Like her mother beside her, Cindy fell into the world of dreams as the plane continued its long journey to the faraway island region.

* * *

Hours later, enough time for the sun to shine again, the sounds of a plane's wheels screeching on blacktop filled the air of anyone who was dense enough to take a walk in a restricted landing zone. The plane with the colorful sides reading 'ALOLA AIRLINES- ALOLA, BETTER TRAVEL!' eventually rolled to a stop on the runway. Minutes later, the terminal came beside the plane's door, and people started loading out of the flight machine and started the short walk to the main lobby of the airport.

Cindy and her family were some of the last passengers off of the place. With her red wheeling suitcase (properly packed without socks hanging out of every pocket) in her grip, her and her family walked down the terminal and into the airport. Already, everything looked so different.

Spread throughout the airport were circular couches with tall palm trees seeming to piece the center and touch the glass ceiling of the building. She saw many businesses making a sales pitch to make some PokeDollars from their merchandise- cinnamon rolls, muffins, and succulent strips of bacon were being served in a small cafe area. In what seemed to be a book store, many people were purchasing the paperback goods for something to read during a long flight. Stuffed plushes of red and black cats crammed a toy store display, along with green and brown owls and blue seals.

The family navigated through the airport and passed countless small stores as they went. They quickly stopped at a small bakery, only there for a few minutes to pick up a bite to eat. While Cindy's parents bought a muffin each and wrapped them up to save them for later, Cindy was already gorging herself on a gooey cinnamon bun, the sugary icing matting her fingers.

Eventually, Cindy and her family found the exit... or was it the entrance? Either way, they stepped through the revolving doors and quickly located their cab that would take them to their new home. They stepped into the cab, and off they were to their new residence in Alola.

While the car drove, Cindy propped her head up with her hand and looked out the clean glass window. The tall buildings blurred past her. In her mind, she was picturing what a Pokemon Professor's lab would look like. With her mental image in mind, she tried her hardest to find that image in real life. But with how fast they were moving, it was a feat deemed impossible as they swerved around turns and stopped at the designated signs.

As soon as the ride started, it seemed to end. The cab pulled into the driveway occupied by a massive moving truck probably stuffed full with boxes. The family got out, then waved goodbye to the generous driver as they pulled out of the driveway to help and serve other newcomers.

Cindy looked up, where she saw tall skyscrapers live up to their name. She spotted a hill miles away that seemed to boast an observatory with a gigantic telescope. She looked over at her brochure, where she viewed the small town information for her new town. Celestiluna City, the city that touched space.

Her parents walked over to the truck, which the back was open for people to access the contents inside the truck. Cindy walked over to the truck and picked up a red box from the cluster of red boxes, her color coded boxes. She walked up the stone pathway and looked back for a second.

In the front yard was a tall palm tree, perhaps it was taller than the buildings in the central hub of the city. Across the blue-slate street was a fairly large lake a way away, she could maybe make out a small sailboat bobbing up and down. And was that a moving palm tree...? Cindy shook her head. Maybe she didn't get enough sleep on the plane and was seeing things. A moving, living palm tree? That was fantasy.

She entered the house and rounded towards her room. It was empty except for the pale red walls that were a few shades darker than her red shirt. She set the box down on the carpeted floor, then looked out the window in the room. Same view. Same buildings. Same imaginary moving palm tree. Same little boat dancing on the lake. Same observatory on the faded horizon. She was almost starting to get used to the view. She decided to ignore the world outside her window and go outside yet again, only motivated by the urge to run to the Pokemon Professor's lab to pick up a Pokemon.

* * *

"And... finished! Whew!"

In Cindy's room, a collection of boxes were stacked upon each other, tall enough for the exhausted girl to lean against it and wipe her brow. Her parents were standing in the doorway, holding a box each.

Her father stepped in and counted the cardboard boxes. "Eight, nine... yep, looks like you have it all!" Her father ruffled his daughter's ginger hair and smiled. "So, I assume you're going to be off?"

"Yep! Gotta get to the lab and get my first Pokemon!" She threw a fist in the air. "When I'm gone, make sure to get me a shelf to display the Alola Ribbon Cup with my name on it!" Cindy turned to rush out of the room, but a hand on her shoulder said otherwise.

"Woah, woah, woah. Before you go out and explore Celestiluna City..." Her mother used her other hand not occupied by making sure her daughter didn't rocket away to hand her something. In her hand was a bag that was primarily red, a green bottom, zigzag pattern protruding from the top and bottom and handles, and decorated between the green spikes were black dots that looked like watermelon seeds. "I think you'd be able to use this. You can store lots of things in your bag!"

Cindy took the bag into her hands and smiled graciously. "Thanks, Mom!" She slung the bag over her left shoulder and darted out of the hallway for good. "Oh, and I'll be back before sundown!" she called over her shoulder before opening the front door and leaving.

* * *

Celestiluna City was a huge city compromised of many tall buildings and bustling business in the central part. However, Cindy wasn't interested in applying for a business job, she was on a mission to find the Professor's lab and get a Pokemon to become the next Alolan Top Coordinator. It was the only reason she was trotting around a busy city near sundown.

Along the way, she had reached into her bag and had found a electronic device that had an entire map of Alola and information about each city, along with a map of each individual city. Seeing that she was new and this was her first time out in the city, she kept the map handy and looked for anything relating to a Pokemon lab. She did eventually find her location on the map, to which she squealed with delight and started a full-blown sprint towards the edge of the city, which wasn't far away from where she was now.

During her run, she saw some Pokemon, most of them unknown to her. A puppy-like Pokemon walking with its owner, along with a child holding a pink and black teddybear-like Pokemon. She swore she saw another living palm tree, but she focused on a mongoose-looking Pokemon with bared teeth. She smiled as she passed by each Pokemon as her long ginger braid whipped behind her, every step taking her closer to the lab.

She passed by many other houses, some residents still out and enjoying the pleasant weather Alola had to offered for that evening. She was pleasantly surprised by the temperature: Sinnoh was very cold and barely warm enough to take off a heavy jacket. In comparison, people in Alola probably didn't know the meaning of heavy jacket, more or less light jacket. Or a jacket with long sleeves. Either way, she was guessing that Alolans looked at long sleeves and quirked eyebrows at the term. Cindy laughed at her little mental comparisons and leaped into the open air, the concept of gravity forgotten as she soared for a small time frame and closed her eyes in pure bliss-

"W-whoa! Look out!"

Before she could respond to the voice, she crashed right into it first.

Cindy and the bystander tumbled towards the ground. While the girl rolled away, relatively unharmed, the bystander she had almost flattened was still on the ground, moaning about their displeasure. Their mop of forest green hair ruffled with every tiny movement, and a pair of silver framed glasses were at their side.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there!" she hastily apologized.

The person, a boy, sat up and rubbed his head. "Oh, it's fine. Now..." He squinted, then looked around himself and started patting the ground all around him. "Can you help me find my glasses? I'm about as blind as a Zubat without them..." He continued moving his hands through the grass and over the blacktop street. "If you see them, please hand them to me. My parents aren't buying me another pair, I've lost two this month already."

Cindy turned her attention to the frames, then took them into her right hand and handed them to the stranger. He only offered a nod of acceptance before holding them in both hands and pushing the glasses onto the bridge of his nose, right over his dark green eyes. He blinked a few times to make sure he could see, then he smiled.

The girl reached a hand down to help the boy up, to which he accepted and hauled himself back up to his feet. He dusted off his short sleeved green jacket and rubbed the back of his neck. "Hey, thanks for helping me find my glasses." He nudged them again, despite he had put them on mere seconds ago. "What had you in such a rush?"

"Oh, y'know. Just Alola's next Top Coordinator going to get her first Pokemon."

The boy's eyes widened. "Really? I was gonna get my first Pokemon tomorrow but..." He smiled for a brief second. "I suppose I can join you!" He stopped for a second, then extended a hand out while he nudged his glasses with his other hand. "By the way, my name's Allen. Nice to meet you!"

"Cindy," she replied as she took his hand and gave it a firm shake.

Allen looked at Cindy and quickly smoothed his unkempt hair down as best as he could. "So, you said that you're going to Professor Kukui's lab, right?

"Oh, that's his name?"

The boy arched an eyebrow. "You didn't know Professor Kukui's name?" He poked her nose for a brief second. "Come to think of it, I've never seen you before, and I know everyone my age here in Celestiluna City. Did you perhaps just move here, Cindy?"

Cindy fidgeted with her thumbs behind her back. "Um, yeah. Just arrived this morning."

Allen gave a subtle nod of understanding. "Then I'll have to show you..." He put his hands in front of him, palms facing Cindy, then he moved them in a circle each while his palms were still out. "Alola!"

"...what the Distortion? I don't get it."

He once again nudged his glasses before explaining, "it's what we do here in Alola. You know how some regions say, 'hey!' or, 'hello!' when seeing someone? Well, in Alola, we do that and say, 'Alola!'" Allen put his hands down at long last. "Hey, what region are you from originally?"

At that point, the two started walking along to the lab together. Cindy was not focusing her attention on the speaker, but to literally everything else. The sunset was descending in the distance, the golden rays and streaks of light painting the whole sky it seemed. A flock of bird Pokemon were flying in front of the potential picture in a museum scene. "Sinnoh. Alola's very different from Sinnoh, I can tell you that."

"Isn't that the region where it snows a lot and it's very cold? And the crazy about Pokemon Contest region?"

"Exactly."

Allen chuckled to himself, hs mop of forest green hair dancing with his subtle head movements. "Well, now I can see why you want to become a Coordinator. If you become Top Coordinator, that'll be exciting. Alola just introduced Pokemon Contest a few years ago, so we don't have many Top Coordinators. I'm pretty sure the first Top Coordinator in Alola was the Contest Master..." He grinned at his newfound companion beside him. "So maybe you can join him and our other Top Coordinator! I bet you can do it!"

"Really?" Cindy questioned. "I haven't even gotten my first Pokemon yet and you're saying I'm a Top Coordinator?"

He shrugged. "Everyone has the same potential within them. How far you take that potential depends on you. And you look like you can take that pent-up potential pretty far."

Cindy blushed from the compliment and the Alolan heat combined. "That was... very deep and reassuring, thank you."

As the pair continued to amble along on their path to the lab, Cindy took her device, the side listing the name of the device the PokeTab, out of her bag and checked where they were in her new home city. Professor Kukui's lab was in view. While she had the lab in the map's view, she pressed her finger in the screen and pulled up more info on the lab.

Apparently, the lab was located on an outlook overlooking the beach. It was a white modern looking building, but the shingles on the roof were sporadic or missing. And that didn't even compare to the bunch of wooden planks nailed onto the roof, and anyone could deduct that there was once a hole there. The windows were also boarded up, like the house was going to hibernate from a tropical storm. However, it managed to look good at the same time. How that was possible was beyond Cindy's knowledge.

Needless to say, they were almost to the lab. Cindy didn't know whay goals Allen was aspiring towards by getting a Pokemon, but she knew that the second she stepped in and picked her adorable starter Pokemon, she was on the road to touch her lucky star that was the Grand Festival.

* * *

 _As Cindy and her newfound friend continue to Professor Kukui's lab, things have shaken up upon meeting Allen! With someone else going to the lab and teaching her about Alola, exciting moments will never run dry! But what is Allen's ambition? Perhaps he could add some company to Cindy's quest to become an Alolan Top Coordinator! Whatever the future holds for the two young Trainers, it's bound to be exciting as the journey continues!_

* * *

A/N: Here we go! The fanfiction I have been planning since the games' very announcement is here! Just a note, at the end, this fanfiction will be HUGE and cover what an anime-inspired Pokemon Sun and Moon would look like. Sure hope you're ready for battles, contest, and Alola madness because it's gonna be a wild ride. Stay tuned for more shenanigans in Alola! This story will usually update weekly, unless I have something else going on, a holiday gets in the way or I really wanna write two chapters in a week. With that in mind, see you next week~!


	2. Litten the Fire!

Pokemon Delta Sun and Theta Moon

Written by SkittleBoxx

Episode 2: Litten the Fire!

* * *

 _Cindy, a new resident to Alola's Celestiluna City, has already had some surprise encounters hours after she arrived! After getting the permission from her parents to go to the local Professor, Professor Kukui, to get her first Pokemon, she bumped into her first Alolan friend... literally! With her new companion, a longtime resident of Celestiluna City, Allen, the two continue their journey to the Pokemon Professor's lab to officially start their journeys!_

* * *

Still on the road to Kukui's lab, Cindy and Allen kept each other occupied for the next five minutes of their journey. It was really more of Cindy asking Allen questions about Alola and him, but it made the journey feel shorter.

First thing she learned about Alola was that is was made of four different and separated islands. Allen had explained that Celestiluna City was located on Melemele Island. Along with Melemele Island, she retained the three other island names: Akala, Ula'Ula, and Poni. They each had different activities and unique towns and cities, but the only thing she really remembered was that each island had many Contest Halls: perfect for collecting her five needed Ribbons to enter the Grand Festival.

Second thing was that the Alola region had a newly implemented Pokemon League system. She had heard something about Trial Captains and Island Kahunas and charms... whatever that meant to her. However, Allen seemed very excited to tell all about the League. Cindy had deducted that Allen had some kind of ambition to do that and become Champion of Alola. But Allen had not said anything about why he was heading to the lab to get a Pokemon, so maybe he was just going to escort a newcomer to the Alola region.

The last thing she really remembered was a lecture on the Alola region. Each island had a deity that they celebrated through festivals or something like that. She wasn't really focusing throughout this section of Allen's rambles as she had gotten distracted by what seemed to be another walking palm tree.

Soon enough, Allen stopped several feet in front of a house. Cindy stopped as well, then took a gander at the home. It was precisely identical to the one on her PokeTab. A white modern house with uneven boards probably covering up gaping holes in the home. It was built on an outlook that had a clear view of the cliffs below, and below the rocky sharp cliffs was a beach with waves lapping the sandbanks. Umbrellas were scattered around the beach like little flowers in a field, and people were still relaxing on colorful beach towels as they soaked up the last rays of sunlight.

"So, this is Kukui's lab." Allen turned to face his companion. "Professor Kukui should be in here. But what I've learned from my occasional walks around this area of the city is that-"

Before Allen could finish his though, a massive blast rattled throughout the whole area. The two teenagers looked at the house and saw some wooden boards that were previously nailed to the roof fly away like a Pokemon using Fly. After the initial blast, a plume of smoke replaced the sparks and fire that were coming out of the newly exposed hole before.

"Sometimes... the lab seems... to blow up..." he finished with an arched eyebrow as he continued to gawk at the steady release of smoke.

Cindy felt a bead of sweat run down her face. "So... is it technically safe to enter the lab if it blows up like this?"

Allen simply walked up to the house and opened the rickety door, the hinges squeaking out in protest. "Yeah, probably." A second after making the bold statement, the door fell off of the frame. He nudged his glasses back up onto the bridge of his nose. "Like I said, it's safe. Kukui probably hasn't fixed the hinges in a while."

After some mental debating with herself, Cindy managed to get her feet to walk towards the house. The two walked through the door frame while being careful not to trip over the door, and they were instantly greeted with a different scene.

The inside of the lab was very contradictory to the outside facade. It was nicely furnished and had a small area with a couch and TV. A fairly large section for some Pokemon to play in was also present, and a whole floor to ceiling aquarium with various fish Pokemon swimming around was smack dab in the middle of the room. A few of these Pokemon Cindy recognized, like a Magikarp and Luvdisc. However, everything else was foreign to her. A colorful fish with large teeth and a sea cucumber decoration were also submerged in the water.

The boy moved to the very middle of the room and cupped his hands over his mouth. "Professor Kukui! Professor Kukui! I'm here for a Pokemon!"

From the very back of the room, a few random Pokemon cries from what seemed to be a stairwell in the very back of the house. A few moments later, a door fastened to the floor lifted and a man's head popped up. He focused his attention to the teenagers and smiled. "Alola! Just give me a minute, I'll be right with you!" He ducked back down and more random sounds filled the air, but at long last he finally stepped out of the basement and dusted his snow white lab coat from any dust it may have collected.

Cindy imminently recognized the tanned man as the man she saw in the Alola brochure. The same sunglasses, the same hat with colorful Pokeball design, the same sunglasses that somewhat dulled the still bright shine in his eyes. Like the picture in the brochure, he still had no shirt, the lab coat he wore was simply against his bare chest.

"Kukui!" Allen called out again. "Alola!"

Professor Kukui strode towards the teens and gave that smile that would drop a million girls dead. Or at least, that's what Allen told Cindy about the girls' impression on the Pokemon Professor. "Alola, you two! So, what brings you to my lab? Here to investigate that blast that happened a bit ago?" He laughed. "If so, don't worry! That happens at least twice a day, it's almost part of my schedule, yeah!"

Cindy closed her mouth. How the house was still standing and up to whatever building code Alola set in place was beyond her.

"Well, first things first." Allen motioned to the girl with the ginger hair next to him. "You already know me from the walks I take around here every week, but I'm pretty sure you haven't seen Cindy before." He looked towards Cindy and this time motioned to the Professor. "Cindy, this is Alola's Pokemon Professor, Professor Kukui!"

"Alola, Cindy!" Kukui held his beautifully tanned hand out. "Professor Kukui. The premier professor of Pokemon moves, yeah!"

The girl held her hand out and gave Kukui's hand a firm shake. "Um... Alola, Professor! Cindy." She retracted her hand and stuck her thumb against her chest while puffing it out. "Future Alola Top Coordinator from the Sinnoh region!"

Kukui headed back to a table and laughed. "A Pokemon Coordinator, yeah? Is this what this visit is about, you two?"

Allen gave a wide beam and nodded, shortly after adjusting his silver frames. "Yep! I was gonna swing by tomorrow, but Cindy literally bumped into me and she was actually heading to the lab. So, I decided that I should tag along." He eyed the capsule devices held snug in the man's arms. "Are those the Starter Pokemon?"

"Yeah!" Kukui affirmed. He looked up and threw all the Pokeballs into the open air. They spun around for a while before they all broke open in sync, the white plasma substance landing on the ground and building into silhouettes of three creatures. The chaotic plasma settled with a burst of sparkles, three Pokemon right in front of the two. "And here they are!" He bent down and presented the three Pokemon.

"First up, the Grass Quill Pokemon, Rowlet!" Kukui let Rowlet hop up onto his arm as the man continued, "Rowlet is a Grass Type Pokemon! Along with that, it's also the Flying Type! Get this, yeah, it can fly without making any sounds and has razor sharp feathers! It's somewhat hard to take care of if you lose it and can't find it, but it is mighty cute!"

Rowlet cooed out and started flying around the lab. It settled on the TV in the room and shook its feathers, a few falling loose from the wings. Its feathers did look razor sharp indeed.

"Next up, the Sea Lion Pokemon, Popplio!" Popplio clapped its flippers together upon its name being mentioned. "Yeah, Popplio is a Water Type Pokemon! It's known to swim really fast, nobody had been able to outrun a full-speed Popplio! Its a little bit of an acrobat, and it uses balloons it can snort out of its nose!" As soon as Kukui said that, Popplio decided to demonstrate. Popplio jumped onto the bubble and flipped away while it popped, Cindy's eyes rapidly filling with stars. "Blowing these balloons seems to be a built-in strategy of the species, but sometimes it gets carried away. But its worth it to raise a Popplio!"

Cindy smiled and got down on her knees to hold Popplio. "Aww, aren't you adorable! I think I want you-"

"And last but not least, the Fire Cat Pokemon, Litten!"

The girl, with Popplio still in her hands, literally dropped the Sea Lion Pokemon as she laid her blue eyes on Litten.

Kukui laughed as Litten rubbed against his legs. "Yeah, Litten's a calm and collected Pokemon. It usually doesn't show emotions, but when it does, you'll be glad you're raising a Litten! It can lick up fur and shoot flaming hairballs- it's like it has its own attack! Sometimes, Litten will shed its old fur in a beautiful blaze, something Litten owners say is a treat to the eye-"

"I WANT IT!" Cindy crawled over to the Fire Cat Pokemon and scooped it up in a tight hug. "It's so adorable, I love it! This one's mine! I want Litten! Please let me have this Litten!"

Meanwhile, Litten was squirming and mewling out in protest of the tight hug.

The Pokemon Professor watched and quickly adjusted his hat. "Wow, that is the most excited I've ever seen a young Trainer! Yeah, you can have Litten!"

Cindy stood up with Litten in her arms and let out another high=pitched squeal of delight. She spun around and hopped up a few times. "Yes! Yes! I want Litten! It's so cute! I love this little thing!"

Litten simply eyed its new Trainer and meowed. Cindy practically died of cuteness once again.

Professor Kukui strode over to Allen and merely shrugged. "So, Allen? See your perfect partner?"

Allen turned his head to the TV in the room, where Rowlet was perched. It shook its wings out again and cooed softly. He then looked at the middle of the hardwood floor, where Popplio noted the attention it was getting and posed for attention. Once again, he scanned the room. Rowlet seemed to finally note that is was getting attention and cooed right at the boy. Popplio was busy snorting out another bubble from its nose and trying to float, probably into Allen's face for more attention. Even after more meticulous thinking, none of the Pokemon were striking chords with him.

Kukui seemed to notice Allen's internal struggle. "If you don't see any of the remaining starters an option, I could always get another Litten from downstairs, yeah." He motioned over to Cindy and Litten, the latter's air deprived meows losing the fight to Cindy's constant gushing. "Do you want a Litten like your friend?"

"Um..." He hunched over with a desperate sigh. "I'm sorry if I'm being a burden right now, but I can't see myself with any of these Pokemon." He nudged his glasses which had slid down his nose after he had hung his head. "Once again, I'm sorry, Professor..."

Before Allen could get any further, Kukui pressed an index finger to Allen's lips. "Whoa, you're not being a burden, cousin!" With his other tanned hand, he drew out a marble sized object between his fingers. He then transferred the object to Allen's palm. "I've had many new Trainers come in here and not see any of these Pokemon to their liking. So..." He pointed to the object in Allen's hand. "I just give 'em Pokeballs so they can catch whatever they'd like when their perfect Pokemon comes around!"

Allen turned the object in his fingers. It had a red top and a white bottom separated by a thin black line. When he tapped the white button in the middle, the ball expanded to about the size of a small grapefruit. Anyone could tell that the object was a working Pokeball.

"Allen!" Cindy ran up to Allen with Litten in her arms. "I think Litten likes me! Isn't that right, Litten?"

Litten meowed again, then managed to wriggle out of Cindy's arm and climb up onto her shoulder. Its front paws were in front of Cindy's shoulder while the back legs of the Fire Cat Pokemon dangled behind her shoulder. The girl giggled and scratched Litten's ear with a finger.

Allen smiled, then turned back to Kukui. "Thanks for the help, Kukui!" He eyed the Pokeball in his hands and slipped it into his pocket. As he turned to leave, he felt a strong shoulder.

"Before you and your friend head off..." Kukui also got Cindy's attention and used his hands to give the teens an item each. The items were a red-orange color and had a screen that seemed to be turned off. It was rectangular in shape and had a lid on a hinge that closed. Along with a top screen, it had a bottom screen with various colorful buttons and some circle pads. "These PokeDexes will come in handy during your adventures, yeah! Try starting it up and scanning Litten!"

Cindy rotated the device in her hands and flipped it open. She pressed the start button and extended her arm, to which Litten precariously traversed and jumped down to the floor from. It sat on the ground and mewled as Cindy bent down to better scan it. Soon enough, the device beeped and displayed a picture of Litten was displayed on the top screen while facts and what seemed to be moves were listed on the bottom screen.

 _Litten, the Fire Cat Pokemon. Litten is a solitary Pokemon who doesn't show its emotions on the outside. It builds up fur in its stomach while it grooms its fur, and it can launch fiery hairballs. The appearance of the hairball can change based on how Litten coughs._

"Wow, this is so cool!" Cindy squealed. She continued to poke around the PokeDex until she saw the time in the corner. "Oh, I gotta get back home! My parents are going to be so worried!"

Allen approached Cindy's side and gave a nervous grin. "Well, if you need to get home... I can walk you home." He pushed his glasses closer to his forest green eyes. "I don't mind, really."

The girl gave a nod of approval, and they were out of the lab after that. Cindy tried to close the door, but then reminded herself that she really didn't need to when the door was on the wooden porch. She just offered a wave to the local Pokemon Professor as she tried to get Litten back into its Pokeball, which wasn't working as Litten simply trotted beside her.

After a good while of walking, the full moon was out and dimming any stars in the sky near its proximity. Cindy and Allen had split up somewhere along the way, the girl having recognized the small landmarks on the way home, like the lake. The boat was absent, another reminder that it was early in the night. Somehow, she managed to find her house, so she walked up the stepping stone walkway and entered the door.

As soon as she entered, she was crowded by two over excited parents. They were asking questions rapid-fire, usually along the lines of "did you get a Pokemon?" or "can I see the Pokemon?" or "Fire, Water, or Grass Type?" Cindy simply bent down and let Litten jump onto its perch on her shoulder.

"So, this is Litten," she responded. "Litten is the Fire Cat Pokemon, and... y'know, Fire Cat... Fire Type... you get the deal."

Her father approached Litten and patted its head a few times. "Litten, huh? It seems to go well with you. Just take extra care to make sure we don't set the new house on fire, we just bought it!"

Just as quickly, her mother also patted the head of the Fire Cat Pokemon. "What a darling Pokemon! Do you think Litten can sleep in my bed tonight? I'd love to have a cuddly Pokemon to fall asleep with!"

Cindy laughed and drew out Litten's Pokeball. "Litten's safe with me, so I'll have to decline on letting you borrow Litten. Now, back in the ball to relax." She withdrew Litten into its Pokeball, but the capsule broke open seconds later. The plasma settled back into the shape of a Litten for what seemed the millionth time that day. "C'mon, Litten. Why don't you like your Pokeball?" She withdrew the Pokemon again, but the Pokeball opened again and Litten purred and rubbed against Cindy's legs.

"If you ask me, I don't think Litten likes being inside its Pokeball," her mother deducted. "I think some Pokemon are just like that. If Litten doesn't like being in its Pokeball, then maybe you can cuddle with it tonight."

The teenager bent down to set a hand on Litten's furry head. "So, you just don't like being in your Pokeball?"

Litten meowed and licked its Trainer's hand.

Her mother looked at the time on her watch and clicked her tongue. "It looks like it's getting late. I don't know about you, but I'm tired. Why don't you get some sleep as well, Cindy?"

Cindy found herself involuntarily yawning, Litten seeming to do the same. "I suppose you're right..." She walked over to her room and smiled. "Well, see you tomorrow! Goodnight!" She opened the door and let Litten slip into her room as well, then she closed the door behind her.

* * *

 _As Cindy's busy day comes to a close, she has more than enough to think about. With two new friends, one human and one Pokemon, it looks like Cindy is certainly prepared for a long and exciting journey! The adventures in Alola seem to keep coming, and our hero is expecting more to come as she sets off on her journey tomorrow! What adventures and misadventures will Cindy and Litten stumble into? The answer is uncertain yet beckoning as the journey counties!_

* * *

A/N: Happy Sun and Moon day! Decided to add to the hype by adding another chapter! Things will start picking up very soon, so stay tuned for more! I could potentially update more than once a week, it really just depends on how much I want to write. Just a note, the PokeDex is based off of the new 3DS for those that are wondering. Anyway, sure hope you enjoyed and look forward to more soon!


	3. A Catch of a Pokemon!

Pokemon Delta Sun and Theta Moon

Written by SkittleBoxx

Episode 3: A Catch of a Pokemon!

* * *

Somewhat early in the morning, Cindy struggled with the sheets on her bed as she tried to escape the bed. During the whole blanket fiasco, Litten was watching somewhat tiredly from the floor in a tight ball. Cindy managed to get the sheets off of her, so she stood up and looked down at her Pokemon. She then went over to her vanity and picked up a hairbrush.

It was finally the day.

"Can you believe it, Litten?" she asked her Pokemon as she ran the hairbrush's bristles through her long ginger hair. "Today, we go out on our grand adventure and I'll become Alola Top Coordinator!" She spun around while her nightgown followed with silky movements. The girl then set the brush down and went into her closet to change into something more adventure appropriate.

Meanwhile, Litten hopped up on the messy bed and licked its paw.

It seemed like only seconds passed before Cindy burst out of the door with a huge smile. She looked at herself in the mirror and made sure everything was perfect. Her bright red shirt was wrinkle-free and tied back with a green hair tie to prevent sagging, and her blue shorts looked tailor made for the Alola heat. Her grey boots had been in great condition ever since she got them for her fifteenth birthday, and her previously free-flowing hair was tied up in two green ribbons and snug in a braid.

She strode over to her nightstand and picked up her bag, then looked back to Litten. "So, you ready? We've gotta practice for our first contest, wherever that may be!" Cindy pulled out the tablet device from her bag and poked around for a bit. She then nodded to no one in particular and put her determined foot forward. "My PokeTab says that our first place to go is Hau'oli City, so let's go there!"

Cindy extended her right arm out, to which Litten hopped upon. It jumped towards her shoulder, its front paws securing it in place while its Trainer ran right out the bedroom door and into the main room of the home.

She gave her parents a wave before she rounded to the front door. She grabbed the handle and yanked it open, then she ran right into the outside light. Already, people and their Pokemon were hard at work or play. She saw the little boat on the lake, and a few moving palm trees she had just learned to accept. She was going to run towards the trail that lead to the next city, and pretty much nothing was in her way.

She kept running with a smile full of joy as she passed each home. Once, she looked over to Litten, who was seeming to have the time of its life as well. Somewhat carried away by her state of ultimate bliss, she jumped up and attempted to reach the clouds that were lazily floating above-

"W-whoa! Cindy, look out!"

It seemed Cindy was still in midair as she face palmed. "Ugh, not again..."

Gravity took over once again, and gravity pulled Cindy back to earth and tumbling into Allen again. The two rolled away from the impact, this time both of them seeming relatively unharmed unlike yesterday's scuffle.

Allen was the first to stand up. He nudged his glasses back up and held a hand out. "Whoa, were you in a rush or what? I've never seen anyone move that fast!"

Cindy giggled with an embarrassed blush as she took Allen's hand and hauled herself back onto her boots. "Well, just a little excited to start my journey. The faster I get out there, the faster I can start collecting my Ribbons!" She spun around and clasped her hands near her heart. "And when I collect my five Ribbons, it's Grand Festival time!"

"Well, sure hope you have lots of fun on your journey." Allen looked behind him to his home, then bit his lower lip. "Um... I really want to ask something of you, but I don't want to be a burden in your adventure." He waved a hand. "Y'know what? Just ignore anything I said. I don't need to ask."

The girl quirked an eyebrow. "Um... you can ask. I literally have no idea what you're trying to say, so I don't really know how to respond."

Allen twiddled with his thumbs, most likely out of nervousness. "Well... I wanted to know..." He took a deep breath before rambling, "Iwanttomaybejoinyou!"

"...what the Distortion did you say? I didn't pick up a single word-"

"I said... I want to join you on your adventure."

Cindy simply eyed her... was Allen a friend yet? Regardless of the status of their acquaintanceship, she smiled and gave a nod. "Sure you can! I bet it would get lonely with only me and Litten."

Allen was not present to respond. It was like he literally disappeared. It was only when she turned her head to Allen's home did she see her new traveling companion at the door with a green backpack on his shoulders. It appeared he was talking to his mother. Cindy approached the scene, where she saw Allen's mother pinching his cheeks and mumbling some worried comments.

His mother noted Cindy and pleasantly gasped. "Oh, and there's that girl that will take care of you!" She turned to Cindy's face. "Promise to take care of my little boy for me?"

"Mom!" the boy commented, displeased.

"Um... I guess so."

The mother pinched her son's cheeks again. "Promise me you'll super careful and that you have fun, sweetie!" She let go of his face and ruffled his hair.

Cindy grabbed Allen's hand and dragged him away from the home as he gave a wave towards his mother. Now on the sidewalk, she let go of his hand and started her excited sprint. Like she expected, Allen joined in as well. Together, the two teens and a Pokemon whooped in joy as they finally left Celestiluna City and started the long journey towards the dreams they aspired to.

* * *

When she thought of 'Pokemon journey', Cindy thought of grand expeditions and crazy battles along the way. The sun on her back and her Pokemon defending her from any rabid beasts. A heroic journey through lush forests and dramatic and dangerous treks through barren deserts. Her and her friend back to back, battling their dominance and showing everyone who dared to get in their way the strength of them and their Pokemon. The nighttime sky reflecting millions of stars as they crossed huge oceans and even swam below them to find treasure. It was the exact image of the concept of a Pokemon journey told in stories.

All she really saw was a dirt path and trees.

Cindy looked to her left. Trees. To her right. More trees. In front of her. A dirt path. Not what she was really expecting.

She mindlessly pulled out her PokeTab and looked at the map. She sighed as she noted the location of Hau'oli City, the nearest Contest Hall settled in that city. Before that, they had to pass two other towns, a settlement named Hou'omaka Town and a smaller town named Iki Town. None of those towns possessed a Contest Hall, so she really had no choice but to pass by the towns.

Meanwhile, Allen was by Cindy's side, absentmindedly tossing his Pokeball up and catching it. He was vigilantly scanning the road and the trees around it, all for a Pokemon he could train as his. Even after minutes of nothing but silent walking, no Pokemon came up to greet him. He was really starting to get either depressed or annoyed by the lack of Pokemon that came his way.

"So... where are we going, exactly?" Allen finally asked.

Cindy looked over to him and presented the PokeTab. "Well, in order to get to Hau'oli City, we have to get by Hou'omaka Town and Iki Town. So we're going to be going through those little settlements, then we go to Hau'oli City for my first contest debut!"

"So, we're just passing by a few cities to get you to Hau'oli? And then you'll enter the Pokemon Contest and get your first Ribbon after you sign up?"

She nodded. "Yeah, pretty much the plan I have in place." She looked at the Pokemon on her shoulder. "Isn't that right, Litten?"

Litten meowed and sneezed shorty after.

He nudged his glasses back up to his nose and gave a small nod of approval. "Well, that's fine by me-" He was stopped as he tripped and fell flat on his face. He rolled over and looked at the thing he had tripped over. "What in Arceus' name...?"

The object in question was beige and dark brown. It had sporadic white bumps on it. However, the thoughts of it being a rock were short lived as the rock seemed to unfurl and come to life. It wasn't a rock: it was a sleeping Pokemon on the road.

The Pokemon seemed to be canine-like and it had bright blue eyes, much like Cindy. It looked up at Allen and barked something.

"Whoa... a Pokemon!" Allen pulled out his PokeDex and flipped it up, an image of the Pokemon appearing on screen

 _Rockruff, the Puppy Pokemon. Rockruff has an incredible sense of smell, it will never forget an odor after smelling it once. It is a friendly and social Pokemon, and it greets others by rubbing them with the rocks on its neck. When it gets older, it becomes more and more reckless._

The Rockruff noted the PokeDex and growled, its front paws firmly on the ground as it growled in displeasure. It wildly barked, but it did not move. On Cindy's shoulder, Litten hissed at the Puppy Pokemon.

Allen poked at Cindy's shoulder and then pointed to the Rockruff. "Look at that Pokemon!" He took his Pokeball out and sheepishly grinned. "Um, since I have no Pokemon and I really want to catch this Rockruff... do you think you and Litten can help wear Rockruff down so I can catch it?"

"Um... sure!" Cindy extended her arm out and moved it upwards, Litten soaring through the air and landing on all fours, ready to battle. "Alright, Litten, this will be our first time battling, so show me what you're made of! Ready?"

Litten mewled and stared Rockruff down with an equal amount of displeasure.

Not even seconds after the command was given to fight, Rockruff sprang into action. It charged headlong at Litten and crashed into it with the rocks on its collar. Litten flew back a considerable amount, landing near the feet of its Trainer.

Cindy noted Litten's location and bent down to set it back on its paws. She picked her PokeDex up and looked at the moves Litten currently knew. "Um... okay! Litten, use an Ember attack!"

Litten got back into the swing of things and focused on Rockruff. It opened its mouth, then released a spew of fire towards Rockruff. The flames seemed to consume Rockruff, but it only left the Puppy Pokemon with minor scratches. After the Ember attack, Rockruff started another charge at Litten.

"Litten, dodge it!" Cindy involuntarily commanded.

Before Rockruff could make contact again, Litten jumped away and onto a tree near the scuffle. The Fire Cat Pokemon slowly climbed down the tree and semi hid behind Cindy's legs.

Meanwhile, Allen watched from the sidelines and seemed to be studying the battle with every fiber of his existence.

"Now use Ember again!"

Litten emerged from its Trainers legs and once again sent searing hot flames at Rockruff. It seemed Rockruff was hit critically based on how the opposing Pokemon flew backwards into a tree. The bark, now with a considerable Rockruff-sized crater, housed the mini meteor itself.

Cindy looked at her PokeDex again and pointed a finger outwards. "Go up and use Scratch!"

The Fire Cat Pokemon meowed out, then ran towards Rockruff with its claws glowing bright white. Before Litten could get any closer and rake Rockruff with its claws, a slew of sand was kicked up by Rockruff's tail and into Litten's face. Not long after, Rockruff slammed into Litten again with the sharp rocks on its neck.

On the sidelines, Allen nudged his glasses again. "Wow... now this is a Pokemon battle, and I'm not even watching two experienced Trainers battle each other..."

"Try another Scratch!"

The Fire Cat Pokemon charged up another attack, but Rockruff said otherwise. It rammed into Litten, Litten's Scratch attack slowly fading away as the Fire Type was almost thrown into its Trainer. Litten got up and growled, a small ember leaving its nose as it snorted.

"Litten, get up!" Cindy called. "If I'm gonna become Top Coordinator, we're gonna have to use some move combinations, and we'll start our practice here! I want you to use Ember, then use Scratch on the Ember! Maybe we can get something to work here!"

Litten looked up, then shot up a misshapen sphere of fire. When the Ember came closer to Litten, it protruded its claws and jumped towards the Ember with the glowing claws on a crash course towards the fire. When contact was made, a blast of smoke occurred that temporarily obstructed anything going on. When the thin smoke finally settled, Litten was on the ground, but its claws were still out and literally ablaze with fire.

Cindy gasped and later squealed. "Oh my goodness, it actually worked!" She pointed a determined finger towards Rockruff. "Now use that paw and Scratch Rockruff!"

It seemed Rockruff had a plan of its own as it too, like Litten, charged towards the other. However, Litten had the upper edge and gave a firm slash to the wild Puppy Pokemon. It was consumed by flames for a second and thrown back towards the tree. The sturdy tree almost shook upon the force of Rockruff's second impact, and the Pokemon fell fro its crater and onto the ground. It seemed to not want to battle anymore, but it kept growling at Litten and the two Trainers.

At that point, Allen ran to the makeshift field and chucked the Pokeball away from his hand and shouted, "Pokeball, go!"

The Pokeball landed squarely on Rockruff's weakened head, where the wild Pokemon was converted into a plasma-like substance and sucked into the capsule device. The top closed down and sealed the Pokeball while the device widely shook. Both Allen and Cindy inched closer to the Pokeball every second it shook. It seemed the Pokeball's shaking was becoming weaker and weaker every time until it ultimately stopped. The middle button, which was flashing red the entire time, finally ceased.

Allen moved his hand to pick up the Pokeball, then smiled. "I... I caught my very first Pokemon!" He gave an excited laugh. "Cindy, thank you so much! Without you, I wouldn't have this Pokemon with me!" He spun around with the Pokeball and then held it up. "I just caught a Rockruff!"

Cindy smiled and let Litten hop back to the perch on her shoulder. "Well, it was no problem. Seeing that it would've broken out of the Pokeball if I hadn't stepped in to weaken it..." She gave a quiet giggle while tilting her head somewhat to the side. "No biggie! Happy to help a friend!"

"Well, let's get you outta there, buddy!" The boy adjusted his glasses as he threw the Pokeball up. It broke, then the plasma that spilled out formed into the smae Rockruff from a few minutes ago. He bent down and put a hand on Rockruff's head. "Hey, buddy! How are you today- OW!"

He looked at his hand, where Rockruff had a firm grip of the hand with its teeth. It growled, then jerked backwards slightly.

"Whoa, Allen, that has _got_ to hurt..." Cindy turned her head away. Litten was already jumping towards Rockruff and hissing. It got next to the Puppy Pokemon and swatted its paw a few times. Rockruff finally let go of its Trainer's hand and tried to bite Litten's tail.

Allen held a Pokeball up. "Rockruff, return!"

As soon as Rockruff was back in its Pokeball, Cindy bent down next to Allen and looked at his hand. "Is your hand okay? That looked like it really hurt..."

"No worries," he responded, "I don't think its teeth are that sharp just yet. Just a few scratches." He sighed. "I guess I'm gonna have to work extra hard to gain Rockruff's trust, huh? But the Pokemon you struggle with the most are the ones that are the strongest... at least, that's what I've heard."

Cindy let Litten hop back onto her shoulder. "But what if Rockruff never trusts you? What if it starts disobeying you in a battle?"

The boy shook his head and adjusted his silver frames. "Nah, one day I'll get Rockruff's trust. Believe me, when it hears that we're going to battle those Trial Captains and Kahunas and then go to the Alola League Conference, it'll realize that trust is of utmost importance."

"Well... I sure hope so..." Cindy responded with some trepidation. "Rockruff doesn't seem to like you that much right now." She stood up and offered a hand for Allen.

After Allen was back on his feet, he clipped the Pokeball to his belt and smiled. "There's no need in worrying about it right now. We'll find somewhere to train, but for now, we should get to Hou'omaka Town. We'll find somewhere to get to know each other better there."

Cindy shrugged, then looked at Litten. "I suppose, and we need to heal our Pokemon from that battle they had. Ready to go, Litten?"

Litten licked its paw, looking quite content now that Rockruff was gone.

The two agreed with Litten's silent notion, then they were off again. Cindy held her PokeTab in one hand and concluded that they could reach Hou'omaka Town in less than three days. With more resolve to hurry, the two picked up the pace and started another friendly sprint along the trees and dirt path, the scene having more meaning to Cindy now that the journey was officially a go.

* * *

 _As Allen and Cindy continue to Hou'omaka Town, they now have time to reflect on the many events that have happened. While Allen has a new partner by his side, his partner, Rockruff, doesn't seem that happy with traveling with Trainers. And with Cindy wanting to pick up the pace to enter her first contest as quickly as possible, our heroes are basically running towards the next town! But will Rockruff be able to trust Allen? The answer is going to be answered as the journey continues!_

* * *

A/N: Back again with a new chapter! Playing Sun and Moon has got me in an Alola mood, so I felt like writing chapter 3! Just a little thing... I'd like a review or two from you guys, I'd really like to know your thoughts and how I'm doing! I could be writing another part tomorrow, so keep an eye out for that! Well, until next time, guys!


	4. Return of a Rival!

Pokemon Delta Sun and Theta Moon

Written by SkittleBoxx

Episode 4: Return of a Rival!

* * *

For the first time in her fifteen year long life, Cindy didn't sleep in the comfort of a bed in a nicely heated home. She never got the message of camping, how it was am open doorway to the grand adventure known as nature. All she saw was an itchy trip fully of poisonous Berries, poisonous ivy leaves, and bug bites- sometimes poisonous. However, being about halfway between the nearest Pokemon Centers which meant being about halfway between soft beds meant that rushing to Hou'omaka Town was out of the equation and they had no other alternatives. They had to camp outside.

Upon her first time camping, Cindy learned a few things. First, Alola cooled off considerably in the nighttime hours. The girl half regretted not bringing a light jacket, but she had the next best alternative: Litten. It may have taken a few hours of setting up camp due to Cindy's discomfort with going into the bordering forest to collect some dry brush and twigs, which she had complained would get in her hair and she would have to do it all over again, but the goal was accomplished eventually. The fire was set up, pretty much everything owed to the Fire Cat Pokemon for its Ember.

Second thing she had learned, there weren't that many bugs as she had thought. There were a few here and there, and when there were, Cindy was thankful for Litten once again. While she covered her head with her sleeping bag, Litten was up and chasing the tiny invaders. Once the bug seemed to be gone, Litten would curl up right on top of Cindy again. It was slightly annoying with a Pokemon standing up, curling up and repeating the process over and over again, but she told herself it was worth it- she would rather have that than a bug biting her.

Third thing- camp was not only hard to set up, but pack up as well. Especially when the person who was better at managing things had lost his glasses in the morning and spent an hour looking for them while his companion did most of the heavy lifting. Cindy was thinking that it would be easier with two people, so she was already making mental plans on how to prevent Allen from losing those silver frames that seemed like they were never attached to his face at any given movement, taking his constant glasses-nudging into play.

Despite the experiences, good or bad, Cindy felt even more like a true Pokemon Coordinator. You sometimes have to get your hands dirty to achieve a goal, right? That's what Cindy told herself as she tried to pick out every leaf in her long hair in the morning. After they were all packed (and Cindy's hair at what she called a presentable level), the two teenagers found the worn dirt path again and continued to Hou'omaka Town.

* * *

"Ugh, when are we gonna get to Hou'omaka Town? My feet are terribly sore..."

"Cindy, we've been walking for twenty minutes."

"Twenty?!"

Allen sighed and facepalmed. "Yes, twenty. Now, I'm not what you'd consider smart-"

"But you're wearing glasses," she interrupted. "Don't all smart kids wear glasses?"

"...no." He quietly nudged the silver frames as he continued, "so, I'm not smart compared to Pokemon Professors, but I know for a fact that if you keep whining, it'll feel like we're taking longer. You know that phrase 'time flies when you're having fun?'"

Cindy merely shrugged in response. "So, you're saying that even with my sore feet, I should be having fun?"

"Yes."

This time, it was Cindy's turn to facepalm. "But my feet hurt! How am I supposed to think about becoming Top Coordinator when I can't focus on anything but my sore feet? It's like you're asking a Magikarp to suddenly learn Hyper Beam and defeat a Legendary Pokemon while it simultaneously evolves into a Gyarados!"

Allen shifted his green backpack to a more comfortable position on his shoulders. "I'm not asking the impossible. Just don't complain about it." He eyed Cindy's watermelon-like bag. "Say, where are we according to your PokeTab?"

The girl stopped to reach into her bag. She fished her PokeTab out and tapped the icon that redirected her to the positioning locator. On the screen was a small dot and an almost straight line path. They were somewhat between the settlements labeled Celestiluna City and Hou'omaka Town. They were closer to the latter, the dot displaying that they were about three-fifths the way there.

"...well, if we need to take a break, we can." Allen rounded over to a tree and propped his bag against it. "Besides, I do have to admit, but I could use a little time to unwind. So, feel free to relax. We seem to be making an even pace, we could even reach Hou'omaka Town sometime next afternoon or evening."

Cindy set her bag next to Allen's and connected her back to the rough bark of a tree. She slowly slid down and exhaled a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank you, my feet thank you..." Without warning, she snapped away from her state of bliss and was thrust back into the real world. "Wait... do we have to camp again?! Aww, no fair! My hair doesn't like camping!"

While sitting against a tree, Allen nudged his glasses so that they reflected a pure white glare that made his forest green eyes disappear. "Listen, we're only stopping because you were complaining, and if you keep complaining we're starting back up again."

"Um... I'll be quiet for a while."

Allen took his glasses off and laughed as he started to clean the lenses with his short sleeved jacket. "Nah, you don't need to play the quiet game with me. Besides, talking to you is really fun, anyway." He held them up and inspected them (Cindy didn't get why, Allen was practically blind and couldn't see anything without them) before nudging them back on the bridge of his nose. "So, what are we even planning to do when we get to Hou'omaka Town?"

Cindy took her PokeTab out again and mindlessly tapped the screen. "We're just passing through to get to Hau'oli City. That's where the closest Contest Hall is around Celestiluna City."

"Huh. Could've sworn they were building a Contest Hall in Celestiluna City," the boy mused. "But I don't think it's done yet. Maybe we'll stop back over if you're absolutely terrible at contest and need another Ribbon or something."

Cindy continued to play around with the PokeTab. She pulled up an internet page (where she was getting service out here was beyond even Arceus) and looked at the tourism guide to Alola and various Alolan cities. She found Hou'omaka Town and decided to take a gander at things she could do without a Contest Hall.

Hou'omaka Town seemed to offer a variety of services. There was a Pokemon Center for weary travelers, and also various restaurants for those who would reject the blessing of free food. A town square littered with practice battlefields near a big fountain was also present. The page boasted that the small town had a nice shopping complex, something that got Cindy's blue eyes to sparkle to life. Anything about shopping was up her ally. Ignoring her love of buying things, Hou'omaka Town seemed like not only a small town that one would forget, but rather one that would make some great memories.

"I was thinking that we could spend a day or so in Hou'omaka Town. Then, it seems that we'll be passing though Iki Town, which is just a hop and skip away from Hau'oli." She closed the internet browser and slipped the tablet device bag into her fruit-themed bag laying next to her sore feet. "It seems that Hou'omaka has some fun things to do, like shopping!"

Allen gave a small laugh. "It seems that you like shopping. When we get to Hou'omaka Town, I'm heading straight towards the Pokemon Center to sign up for the Alola League!"

Cindy turned her attention to her friend and quirked an eyebrow. "Alola League?"

"Yep! It's actually kinda different than what we had three years ago... three years ago, that was when Alola first introduced Pokemon Contest from the Sinnoh region. Before that, there was no League."

"But..." She was failing to connect the dots. "How did Pokemon Contest affect its opposite, the Pokemon League?"

Allen nudged his glasses before going on. "It all had to do with Alola's previous system, Island Trials. Now, Trainers who went on the Island Trial challenge were granted access to other islands in Alola by beating what's known as the Island Kahuna. When we introduced contest, the League officials stated that Coordinators weren't skilled enough to beat Island Kahunas, given that they didn't even do Island Trials. So, with that in mind, Alola adopted a League system while still retaining some of what made Alola's Island Trials unique."

Cindy shrugged, Litten hopping off of her shoulder and on her lap. "Then what's the system?"

"The system now... we still have what we call Trial Captains, but unlike years ago, we only battle the Captains now. There are eight Trial Captains, like other regions have eight Gym Leaders. Here in Alola, we collect these little mementos called Charm Pieces like other regions would collect Gym Badges. We get a Piece each time we win a battle against a Trial Captain. But we also need to collect the four Charm Pieces given by the Kahunas of the islands." Allen stopped to take a huge breath. "Anyway... in order to be applicable to enter the Alola League Conference, one needs to have a wooden pendant called a Charm filled out. Eight Pieces have to be set into one side, four on the other." He smiled at his friend. "It's my goal to get that Charm filled out and become Alola Champion!"

The girl stood up and dusted her red shirt off. "Well, since we both have some kind of goal in Hou'omaka Town, should we get started again?"

Allen nodded and hauled himself to his feet. "Yeah, we should get going again. I gotta sign up for the Alola League-"

"And why bother? You're just wasting your time," a different voice interrupted.

The two teens turned to face the person who had spoken. Behind them was a boy, no older that them. His deep purple eyes were narrowed towards them, more specifically Allen. Even a barrage of light black hair making home in front of his face did not stop his quest to stare Allen down.

"I said," the boy reiterated, "you're wasting your time. Go home, Allen."

Cindy scooted a little closer to Allen. "Allen, he knows your name!"

With an equal glare, Allen didn't make an effort to turn his eyes towards Cindy. "I know. It's only natural that I would know this boy." He took a step forward. "And so we meet again, Ryan."

"Um... do you two know each other?" Cindy asked quietly.

Allen finally shifted his eyes back, but he really couldn't see Cindy as she was behind him. "We do. Pretty much everyone our ago knows us as Celestiluna City's ultimate rivals." He pounded a foot forward. "And what do you mean by 'go home'?"

The boy known as Ryan never ceased his glaring either. "I mean what I said. You're not going to sign up for the Alola League. When you ask to sign up, they'll take one look at your nerdy face and laugh. I've told you again and again. Don't dream so high that they're impossible to reach. Now, for me, I can reach the dream of simply signing up. You, however, can't."

"Excuse me?!"

Ryan laughed and took a Pokeball off of his belt. "Then prove it. Battle me. I doubt you're gonna win, but just try and see if you even have the skills to sign up for the League." He shifted the capsule device between his hands and drew his hand back. "C'mon, Al-loser."

Allen's hands shook with rage as he took his own Pokeball off of his belt and nudged his glasses. "You don't know what you're getting yourself into, let alone talking about. I'm signing up for that League."

Before Ryan threw his Pokeball out, he grabbed Cindy's shoulders and situated her between the two on the sidelines. He walked back and shook his head to get some hair out of his face. "This is gonna be one-on-one. First Pokemon to concede defeat wins."

"And that's gonna be your Pokemon!" Allen threw his Pokeball into the open air. "Rockruff, come on out!"

Ryan smirked and threw his Pokeball out as well. "Let's go, Axew!"

It seemed the two Pokeballs met in the middle of the field with a clash before they popped open. On one side, a Rock Type Pokemon. On the other, a small green Pokemon that seemed dangerous yet somewhat adorable.

"Who's that Pokemon?" Cindy asked herself as she took her PokeDex out and pointed it to the foreign Pokemon.

 _Axew, the Tusk Pokemon. Axew has strong tusks that provide a variety of uses, like marking territory and crushing hard Berries. The tusks can break, but they always grow back. The new tusks are said to be stronger than the lost tusk._

Allen nudged his glasses and cocked his head to one side. "Where'd you get that Pokemon?"

Ryan crossed his arms. "I'm from Unova, so it's only natural that my family would take a pet Axew with us. Years later, I get permission to take Axew with me." He uncrossed his arms and pointed outwards. "No holdups! Use a Scratch attack!"

Axew, like its Trainer, stared Rockruff down and started a wild charge. Its short claws extended and glowed a blinding white color. It jumped up and prepared the slash to Rockruff.

On the other side of the field, Allen found himself jittering around and shaking. He felt a bead of sweat run down his face as he shouted, "um... Sand Attack!"

Rockruff prepared to kick up a cloud of dust in front of it, but the command was given too late. Axew managed to get a firm attack in. Rockruff went flying backwards, almost flying back into its Trainer.

"C'mon, Allen! You can beat Ryan!" Cindy cheered from the sidelines.

Allen looked back at Ryan, then at his Pokemon. He nervously pointed outwards. "O-okay... Rockruff, use Tackle!"

What one would expect to happen would be Rockruff charging at Axew and attacking. However, none of that happened as Rockruff simply lied down.

"W-what?! Rockruff, get up, we don't have time to relax-"

"Dragon Rage, Axew!"

On the other side of the field, Axew open its mouth and started gathering some blue-colored energy. Who knew what that energy would be used for later and how powerful of an attack it would make.

Allen knelled down near Rockruff and started shaking his Pokemon around. "Get up, get up, get up! C'mon, we're in the middle of a battle!" He continued to try and get Rockruff to stand up, but the Puppy Pokemon simply refused to get up.

While the frantic shaking and requests to stand up continued, a snap from the other side of the field was heard. Both Allen and Rockruff looked to the Tusk Pokemon firing a beam of blue energy straight towards them both. In a split second, Allen grabbed Rockruff and managed to get out of the way, sliding near Cindy's feet.

Cindy noted Allen at her feet, then glared at Ryan. "Hey! You almost hurt my friend! That should disqualify you from the battle!"

"It's not my fault he's such a horrible Trainer he can't get his Pokemon to obey him," Ryan rudely commented.

Allen stood up and placed Rockruff back on the field, then fisted his hands. "Please, Rockruff, just listen to me! Use Bite!"

Finally, Rockruff listened, but it rolled its eyes as it took a leisurely stroll towards Axew and put the Tusk Pokemon's arm in its mouth with no effort whatsoever. Hardly a Bite attack if you would ask anyone.

"Um... are you even trying?" Ryan snapped his fingers together. "Use Dragon Rage, get this terrible battle over with."

With Rockruff's effortless attack still in effect, Axew opened its mouth again and fired another powerful beam of Dragon Type energy. Because of how close the two Pokemon were, Rockruff went flying into a tree on the way far side of the makeshift battlefield. When Rockruff fell from the tree, it was still glaring at Axew as it stood up and started its own charge towards the opposing Pokemon.

Allen gasped. "Rockruff, wait until I give a command! I'm your Trainer, you should be listening to me!"

Ryan surpressed a laugh either mocking the display of Pokemon or mocking Allen. "Really? _This_ is gonna be your star Pokemon that'll become Champion of Alola alongside your lofty dream image of yourself?" He smirked. "That's so funny. Axew, just use an Assurance attack."

As Rockruff continued its anger filled charge, Axew prepared when it was practically face-to-face. It moved its hand back and watched as the out of control Puppy Pokemon pounded its paws to get closer and closer.

"Now use Leer and fire that Assurance attack!"

Before Rockruff could make contact, Axew glared at Rockruff with red glowing eyes. The Puppy Pokemon stopped dead in its tracks and whined quietly due to the intimidating look on its opposition's face. When Rockruff was perfectly still, Axew thrust its hand forward and off went Rockruff like a rocket. It flew back into the tree it had flown into minutes ago, perhaps a stray Berry falling. However, unlike last time, Rockruff didn't get up as quickly.

Allen seethed a breath in through gritted teeth. "C'mon, you can keep going!"

Despite Allen's feeble attempts to get Rockruff to stay standing, nothing worked. The Puppy Pokemon fell to its side and didn't get back up.

Cindy sighed and pointed to Axew. "Rockruff is unable to battle, so Axew is the winner. Which means that the winner of this one-on-one Pokemon battle is... Ryan."

Ryan smirked and withdrew his Pokemon back into its Pokeball. Shortly after, he approached Allen and glared. "And look who won." He laughed for a short while. "You know where Celestiluna City is. Just go back and cry to your Mommy."

"Stop that!" Cindy demanded, "you're being unnecessarily rude towards my friend! At least apologize!"

Ryan shifted the glare to Cindy, but them looked at Allen. "Hey, Al-loser. Sorry that you're such a failure Pokemon Trainer. See ya never in the Alola League Conference," he crudely said as he walked off past them.

Cindy turned to Allen, who was looking down. "Hey, don't listen to him. He's just trying to get a reaction outta you." She offered a smile. "If you ask me, I think that if you can get Rockruff to obey you, you'd become Alola Champion in a heartbeat."

Finally, Allen looked up and nudged his glasses a bit. "Really? Because I don't really think so..."

"Of course." Cindy grabbed his wrist and started walking on the path again. "Beside, this battle's now in the past. All you can do is learn from it and get better, and when you get your Pokemon's trust, you'll be great."

Allen caught Cindy's contagious smile and gave it back to her. "Thanks. You know what to say when I need it."

The two made sure to grab their bags and Cindy to make sure she hadn't lost Litten. After they were ready, they started walking on the faded dirt path again. The sun was still high in the sky, so they had plenty of time to make it to Hou'omaka Town, either to shop, play, or try and fulfill a quest to get a Pokemon to trust him, Allen's next big step on the path to becoming Alola Champion.

* * *

 _In only a day of traveling, many surprising things have happened! Allen's childhood rival, Ryan, showed up and challenged Allen to a battle. However, due to Ryan's strong bond with his Pokemon and Rockruff's disobedience, Ryan swept the battle quickly and claimed a victory! Although Allen felt a little down on himself after the rude comments exchanged by his rival, the quest to Hou'omaka Town still remains strong. There, Allen hopes to make some sort of amends with Rockruff so the quest to becoming Alola Champion is easier. And with a battle to learn from, more exciting battles await Allen in the future as the journey continues!_

* * *

A/N: Hello! After days of debating what Ryan's perfect Pokemon would be, here's the next chapter! Not much to say here, but reviews are greatly encouraged! With that, I sure hope everyone is having fun playing Pokemon Sun and Moon and that you stayed tuned for more!


	5. A Training Wreck!

Pokemon Delta Sun and Theta Moon

Written by SkittleBoxx

Episode 5: A Training Wreck!

* * *

After what seemed like the most hectic day thus far in the two day or so journey, both Allen and Cindy were grateful for the relaxation that came with that evening and the next day. Right after Ryan left, the two continued on the dirt path that was leading them to Hou'omaka Town. As the sun set that night, Cindy's PokeTab suggested they were almost there, but not quite close enough to make it before total darkness took over Alola. So, much to the disliking of Cindy, camp was set up once again.

The next morning, after the campsite had been packed up (Allen didn't lose his glasses this time, thank Arceus), the two were off again. It was mostly uneventful, except for that moment where Litten sneezed and almost caught Cindy's shirt on fire, but other than that the walk wasn't anything to be envied. All that mattered was how close they were to Hou'omaka Town, and with their brisk pace, Allen had deducted that they would finally make it before the sunset.

That in its own almost seemed to make them walk faster.

* * *

The path was quiet. The sky was blue and dotted with a fluffy cloud lazily drifting by. The wind was minimal, so the sounds of rustling leaves was almost absent. It was the dictionary definition of a perfect day in a tropical paradise. The only notable sounds were those of feet on the dirt trail. Nothing could possibly go wrong on a picture perfect day like this one.

The two teenagers on the trail were silent like the nature around them as well. While Cindy was tending to Litten and giving it plenty of affection, Allen was simply focused on the trail ahead while he ate a sandwich he had packed with him. Due to Cindy's sheer excitement of becoming a Coordinator days prior, she really didn't bother to pack any food or anything. Luckily for her, Allen had her covered and let her have the other half of his sandwich. Peanut butter with Pecha Berry jelly seemed to be the flavor, but the girl wasn't exactly a practiced connoisseur of edible treats, let alone a sandwich.

They remained in silence for what seemed like hours. Occasionally, Cindy would check her PokeTab and see where they were in relation to Hou'omaka Town. Every time she did so, no matter if she had last checked five seconds ago or twenty minutes, the dot representing her location would inch closer to point B. It always made her hopeful that anytime now, they would see a shift in the road, from dirt to blacktop, and they would stride into Hou'omaka Town. Cindy had already planned everything she was going to do. First, hit the Pokemon Center to check out a room and heal Litten in case it had sustained any major injuries. Second, run straight to the shopping complex to find her perfect contest outfit if her mother hadn't bought her one already. Third... more shopping, she supposed.

Other than the obvious option on the agenda, Cindy was still thinking of all the other things she could do once they reached Hou'omaka Town. From her visit to the Alola tourism site, she knew that the small town had some public battlefields anyone could use. Perhaps she would go there and develop the perfect appeal for when she got to Hau'oli City's Pokemon Contest. Or maybe they had a salon that would fix her hair up from two terrible hair days of camping. She never knew that a small town could ahrbor so many things to do and places to go, be she wasn't complaining. If there was shopping and Pokemon Contest prep, she was game.

Cindy had no clue what Allen wanted to do when they reached the settlement, though. She was assuming that he would sign up for that Alola League and try to earn Rockruff's trust. But other than that, the boy's future ambitions were unknown to her. Did he want to go shopping, too? Maybe he would reserve some seats in a restaurant for some quality food after the long trek to Hou'omaka? Perhaps he would just go back to the Pokemon Center and flop down on the bed in the room they checked out?

Once again, Cindy pulled her tablet device out and looked at their current location. She mentally celebrated inside as the dot crawled closer and closer to their destination. Perhaps all that camping and leaves in the hair would be worth it to sleep in a bed tonight. She didn't want to deal with taming her hair again after it had seemed to swallow every leaf in the area for the past two nights. She really had to invest in a night hat or something.

It seemed like a while before Cindy felt a soft prodding at her shoulder. Since Litten was borderline asleep on her right shoulder, she turned to her left, and there was Allen poking her shoulder over and over.

"...hi, Allen. Do you need anything?"

Allen gave a sheepish smile of his. "Hey. I was wondering..." His smile faltered, then flat-out vanished. "Do you think... do you think Ryan was right? Do you think it would be a funny joke if I tried to sign up for the Alola Pokemon League? He sounded like he was telling the truth back there..."

Cindy shook her head, which seemed to wake Litten up a bit with its Trainer's hair in its face. "Not at all. You can't let Ryan's comments get to you." She offered an encouraging smile. "He's just trying to discourage you. If you want to know what I think... I think he realized that you're gonna become a great Pokemon Trainer and he just doesn't want to face you in the Alola League because you'll beat him. I think he knows that."

"Really?" the boy inquired. "I don't really think so..."

"C'mon, of course you're good!" She stopped and struck a battle ready pose. "If you can put up with that Rockruff's disobedience, then no doubt you'll be able to survive the time needed to gain Rockruff's trust! And when that happens, Rockruff will evolve into... whatever it evolves into, and you'll show Ryan who the next Alola Champion is!"

Allen remained with his monotonous face for a while, but then broke out into a smile. He seemed to be blushing, embarrassed. "Hehe... maybe. Maybe I could just barely get into that League Conference-"

Cindy shushed him with a finger. "Nope. Not just barely. You're gonna get in by a landslide!" She nudged her friend with an elbow. "C'mon, hold your head up and know that you'll get better!" She turned her head to face her Pokemon. "Isn't that right, Litten?"

Litten, who was now fully awake after its little cat nap, meowed with a smile.

"Even the Pokemon believes in me..." The boy nudged his glasses again and nervously smiled. "I... I guess I can put Ryan's probably true-"

"Nope. Try a different word."

Allen laughed a little nervously. "Ryan's totally false comments behind me and sign up for the Alola League."

Cindy jumped up with delight, and it seemed Litten did the same. "That's the spirit! Now..." She grabbed Allen's wrist and looked him straight in the eyes. "Let's battle! Let's see you put that determination to good use!"

"W-what?!"

The girl ran a considerable way away from Allen, putting some nice space between them. Cindy put one hand on her hip and extended her right hand outwards. Like the last time Litten battled, it ran across the human platform and jumped up and landed on the ground. She struck her battle ready pose again, evident that she was serious about the battle.

Allen eyed his friend and the Litten, then moved his hand towards the Pokeball clipped on his belt. He took it off and pressed the white button on the middle. The Pokeball grew to a bigger size, which meant that it was battle time. He drew his hand back and threw the Pokeball out as he shouted, "Rockruff, come on out!"

The ball spun in the air for a few good seconds before breaking open. The plasma substance settled into the wild and ignorant form known as Rockruff.

"Okay, Allen, I'll let you claim first move!" She looked towards Litten. "Get ready, Litten. Rockruff is a Rock Type Pokemon, and if it knows any Rock Type moves yet, best be on guard because Fire Types are at a disadvantage! And even if it doesn't know any Rock Type moves, any other attack can hurt just as much! So, ready?"

Litten slammed its front paws on the ground and growled at the opposing Puppy Pokemon, which was doing the same from across the field.

On the other side of the field, Allen used a shaking hand to adjust his glasses. "O-okay... sure hope I don't do anything wrong like last time..." He nervously thrust his hand outwards. "Rockruff, let's start this off with a Bite attack!"

In a way Allen didn't expect from his disobedient Pokemon, Rockruff barked out wildly and charged towards Litten. Its mouth was open and each sharp tooth was outlined in a bright white glow. The boy stood, dazed. Rockruff actually _listened_ to him.

Cindy looked at the charging Pokemon, then at Litten. "Alright! Litten, block it with Scratch!"

Although Litten didn't move as it held its ground, it managed to prop itself up on its hind legs and sit upright. It extended its sharp claws that would otherwise be covered by its black paws. When Rockruff finally jumped upwards to snap at Litten, the Fire Cat Pokemon thrust one of its forelegs at Rockruff. Instead of biting down on Litten itself, it bit down on Litten's extended claws. A few sparks originated from the moment of contact. Seconds later, Litten used its other foreleg to slash Rockruff, thus bringing it away from Litten and back to its side of the field.

Allen felt himself fist a hand from the tension of the battle. He looked at the Rockruff still staring down Litten. "Why did Rockruff finally obey me? It's not like we had any other interactions after the battle with Ryan..." He shrugged it off and point out again. "Now use-" Before Allen could finish, Rockruff ran straight towards Litten. The boy sighed as he felt a bead of sweat drop down his face. "Ugh, not again..."

"Litten, Growl!" Cindy commanded.

Before Rockruff was even close enough to attack, Litten let out a terrible hissing noise. Both Trainers covered their ears due to the sheer volume, and Rockruff stopped in the middle of the makeshift field to try and eliminate the noise from entering its ears. It was no use, however, as Litten continued to hiss.

Cindy managed to crack an eye open. "Now... use... Ember!"

Litten was still growling out as it gathered a collection of searing hot embers in its mouth. As soon as the attack was ready, Litten increased the volume of its hissing as it shot the Ember forward. It seemed the attacks somehow merged together, circular rings of fire ripping through the air and on a crash course towards Rockruff.

"Rockruff, dodge it!" the boy on the other side frantically commanded. However, as soon as he ended the message, there was a Puppy Pokemon lying near his feet. So much for dodging the attack. He surveyed the situation and ran a finger over the rim of his glasses. "Think think think... use Leer!"

If Rockruff was glaring hard at Litten, the Puppy Pokemon produced some unprecedented levels of eye narrowing and teeth barring. Its eyes seemed to glow an eerie light blue, which looked like it was really scaring Litten on the other side of the field.

Allen pointed outwards again with his nervously shaking hand. "Now Tackle!"

As Rockruff ran closer and closer to Litten, Cindy slammed a boot clad foot on the ground as she yelled, "snap out of it, Litten!"

On the dirt path/field, the Fire Cat Pokemon that was seized with fear didn't move. It meowed out quietly for whatever reason. It stayed frozen for long enough for the Puppy Pokemon to slam right into the feline-like creature with the sharp rocks on its collar. Litten flew backwards a considerable amount, but that didn't even seem to stop it from getting back up and into the game again.

Cindy knelled down and eyed her Pokemon. "Alright, we're doing just fine! But I want you to turn it up to eleven, I need you to feel that battling spirit flow through you! We've got some Contest Battles to do when we enter the Hau'oli City Pokemon Contest, so this is gonna be our practice! Ready to keep going?"

Litten walked next to its Trainer and rubbed against her boots. It sat down and meowed with a determined tone.

"Awesome!" The girl hauled herself back to her feet and snapped her fingers together for some kind of dramatic effect. "Let's start it back up! Litten, use Ember!"

It sure looked like Litten was recharged and back at it. It opened its mouth and started the gathering of small embers of fire. Soon enough, Litten jumped upwards and fired the Ember attack down and at the opposition.

Meanwhile, Allen was quickly shifting his eyes back and forth between the attack and his Pokemon. "Think... what to do here..." He felt his hand start shaking again. "I can't mess this up... Rockruff, just dodge it!"

Rockruff stood its ground, but them twirled around and used its hind legs and tail to kick up some dirt. The plume of dust created a wall between the Puppy Pokemon and the Ember attack, the Fire Type move colliding with the dust and exploding out of existence. Afterwards, Rockruff continued the furious barking and shifted on its paws to better guard its side of the field.

Cindy laughed and focused on her opponent. "Wow, this is a tense battle! You feelin' that Alola Champion inside you rise up to the surface?"

"Um... sure?"

She quirked an eyebrow. "Was that a question?"

Allen adjusted his glasses and shrugged. "Sure. I don't know what that feels like, but maybe I feel it."

"Awesome! Litten, Scratch!"

With the opposition distracted, Litten ran up towards Rockruff and quickly extended its claws. It leaped up into the air and meowed out as it descended with the front paws out, like it were a claw-wielding missile about to land and wreck havoc.

"Dodge that!" Allen commanded.

Instead of dodging, like it was told to, Rockruff jumped upwards and managed to ram straight into Litten while both Pokemon were still in midair. Litten went flying from the critically aimed hit, this time way into a tree past Cindy. Back on the ground, Rockruff seemed to relax and settle down without the Fire Cat Pokemon sharing a makeshift battlefield with it.

Cindy ran towards the tree Litten was knocked into and huffed. "Litten! Come down!" She put a foot on the tree and noted Allen behind her. She hobbled and hopped for a bit as she put her hands on the tree. "Allen, boost me."

The boy approached his friend and managed to lift her up on his back. He looked up as he struggled at keep his own footing. "So... where is Litten...? I'm not that strong... I'm literally going to collapse any minute now..."

Cindy stood up on her tiptoes as she stuck her whole head and upper body in the tree. Among the green leaves and the occasional Berry, she saw a bundle of black and red fur on an isolated branch that looked like it would never support a Pokemon upon first glance. She tried to reach her arms out to fish her Pokemon out of the tree. "Litten! C'mon, over here!"

Litten noted the familiar voice of its Trainer, then attempted to walk towards her. Attempted was the key word of the day as it suddenly stopped due to a sharp cracking noise from the branch it stood on. It desperately clung onto the branch like there was a pit of molten lava below it. It meowed out, perhaps an SOS signal to other Pokemon.

"Litten!" Cindy removed her face from the sturdy tree and jumped off of Allen's shoulders. She landed on the ground just in time to see the branch Litten was on break away from the tree it was once attached to. Now stuck in a freefall, Cindy only had one thought come to mind.

She ran towards Litten, extended her arms out, and slid like she was on ice to catch her falling Pokemon.

Somehow, the move was quick enough and Litten fell safely into Cindy's arms. However, not everything worked out the way Cindy had planned out when she sat up and inspected the stinging pain in her knee. Upon her further inspection, she had accidentally scraped her knee a bit when sliding into home to save her Pokemon.

"You okay?" Allen asked as he bent down next to Cindy.

The girl gave a smile despite the pain she was feeling. "Yeah... could've been way worse." She looked to her Pokemon, who had jumped onto her shoulder again. "At least Litten is safe. I wouldn't have wanted Litten to fall and get hurt."

Allen held his hand out, to which Cindy grabbed to help her back to her feet. She dusted her red shirt from any leaves or dirt it may have collected, then looked back at her friend, who already had his Pokemon recalled and his Pokeball clipped back onto his belt. "We should get back on the trail to Hou'omaka Town. Not only do we need to heal our Pokemon and maybe your knee, but we're almost there. Just a little while longer and we'll finally be at Hou'omaka Town!" the boy exclaimed.

The girl agreed, then started a sprint with her friend despite the fact she had scraped her knee mere minutes ago. The two continued on the dirt path that had become oh so familiar, the trees whizzing by them. The sun was still high in the sky as the two sprinted off the fading worn trail and the terrain changed under their feet from grass and dirt to blacktop as the silhouettes of houses and moderately-sized buildings finally came into view after two days of an already exciting adventure.

* * *

 _Another day, another exciting battle! With Cindy's motivation and Allen's will to polish his battling record, the two friends face off in a small battle to practice for either the Alola League or upcoming contests. However, it seems that the battle was carried a little too far when an impressive attack from the disobedient Rockruff knocks Litten into a tree, calling the battle off! Even after the little mishap and an unfinished battle, our heroes decide to finish the journey to Hou'omaka Town! More exciting battles and hijinks are to come as the journey continues!_

* * *

A/N: Here it is, the next part! Sure hope you're enjoying the ride so far, because we're about to speed it up next chapter! So make sure to keep an eye out for any new updates, maybe leave a review... that's really all, so until next time!

(In response to a guest review, yes, Hau will be appearing in the story. I'd also like to thank those who left reviews, I appreciate it!)


	6. New Friends NOT Included!

Pokemon Delta Sun and Theta Moon

Written by SkittleBoxx

Episode 6: The Journey Continues, Stephanie Not Included!

* * *

At long last, Cindy and Allen had finally reached Hou'omaka Town.

While still sprinting, the two teenagers managed to skid to a halt in what seemed to be the town square. There was a huge fountain with a Horsea on the top spraying out a gentle waterfall of water, and Cindy swore that she maybe saw a little Magikarp swimming around. All around them were semi-tall buildings that seemed to be either apartments or shops, and people were gathering in the town square. But a tap in the shoulder from Allen suggested that they had no time to sight see, they were to visit the Pokemon Center.

Soon, they stopped in front of a fairly large builder, significantly larger than any other building they had seen thus far. It had sliding glass doors and a red roof, and painted on the front of the building was a large Pokeball. A signpost next to the two read 'Pokemon Center', so if that didn't get the point across, they were at Hou'omaka Town's Pokemon Center.

They stepped in, and the scenery changed. If they were to keep walking forward, they would run into a desk and the nurse behind the desk. To the right of them, there were several booths with telephones and screens against the wall. In the open area of the right side, there was a glass table with many chairs snug under it. There was a stairwell next to the nurse's desk. To their left was another area, but this one had a widescreen TV mounted to the wall. A few people were surrounding it, they seemed to be watching the news. There were more chairs and couches set up, and built into the far left wall was what seemed to be a cafe. Why anyone would pay for a beverage when there was a sign reading 'cafeteria' leading upstairs, no one knew.

Allen grabbed Cindy's wrist and gently pulled her towards the nurse's desk. "If you ever need to heal your Pokemon, just stand here and Nurse Joy will notice you in no time. Every Nurse Joy is committed to helping people and Pokemon in need."

Like her friend had said, a woman with short pink hair not even long enough to tie back appeared. She was wearing a pale pink tank top and a short miniskirt with some shorts underneath, along with a small hat with a red cross on it. She gave a warm smile. "Hello, welcome to the Pokemon Center! Can I help you two today?"

"Yep," Allen responded as he pulled his Pokeball out, "me and my friend would like to heal our Pokemon and claim a room to stay in tonight."

Nurse Joy gave a confirmatory nod. "Alrighty then!" She set out a tray with six distinct divots. "Just put your Pokeballs here and I'll have them fixed up in a jiffy!"

While Allen placed his capsule device in one of the divots, Cindy let Litten jump off of her shoulder and onto the counter. Cindy looked at the nurse with a nervous smile. "Um, does Litten have to be in its Pokeball? Litten doesn't like to stay in its Pokeball."

"Of course! You don't even know how many times I've seen Trainers who prefer to keep their Pokemon out and with them. It's fine!" She gently lifted Litten onto the tray and picked it up. "While I heal your Pokemon..." While still holding the tray, she reached under the desk to perhaps a cubby built into it and handed Allen a plastic card. "There's your room key! Why don't you settle down and relax? Where do you two even come from?"

Cindy pulled her PokeTab out and showed Nurse Joy the map. "We come from Celestiluna City."

The nurse never stopped smiling. "Wow, that's a long way away from here! You guys really should rest a bit, I bet your feet are tired!" She turned around and went to the back of her little area, which must've been where Pokemon were healed. She poked her head out and looked at Cindy. "Oh, and I heard about your little scuffle with your knee. Don't worry, there should be some bandages in your room to help!" She vanished out of sight again.

Now with the card, Allen and Cindy rounded over to the stairwell and started scaling the steps. The card said that their room was somewhere on the third floor, so they climbed the stairs until the stairs disappeared because the Pokemon Center was only three stories tall. They could smell the delicious food the cafeteria was preparing a floor down. Soon, they reached their room, so Allen swiped the card through the security device on the door. It beeped, so he opened the door.

The room itself was... well, roomy. There were two sets of bunk beds and a desk tucked away in a corner. Mounted on a TV stand was a widescreen TV, though it wasn't as large as the one downstairs. While Allen set his backpack down and against the post on one of the bunk beds, Cindy rocketed straight towards the door.

"Um, Cindy, where are you going?" Allen inquired.

Cindy, with a smile, rolled her bright blue eyes. "To go shopping! Duh!" She made sure that her watermelon-inspired bag was still firmly around her left shoulder, then she opened the door and bolted straight out.

Allen stood up and tried to catch her. "Wait! You can't leave without... a..." He realized her was talking to perhaps the smoke outline of Cindy rather than the living form of his friend. "...key card." He sighed as he felt a bead of sweat drip down his face. "Sure hope I remember to let her in when she comes pounding at the door..."

* * *

The sun was almost ready to start its daily descent as Cindy burst out of a local clothing store. She spun around once like there were mirrors on any side of her, just observing her fashion and probably giving herself mental compliments. Nothing had changed about her choice of clothing rather than her newly bought accessory, a bright green scarf gently wrapped around neck. It matched the accent colors on her bag and the ribbons holding her braid in place, so she was happy.

She started off to find the Pokemon Center again. She passed by the town square again, that fountain still brilliantly spewing water up. Around the town square, Trainers were facing off in small play battles, or families were relaxing while the younger children cheered the older challengers on. It was a picture perfect example of people in a smaller town gathering together as a community to enjoy the last bits of light before the sun started to set.

So if the community was together, what was that blue-haired girl doing sitting alone on the rim of the fountain?

Cindy, albeit very quietly, approached the girl. She looked slightly younger than her, and a bit shorter. She had a foot clad in a knee-high indigo boot on the fountain's rim, and her miniskirt was the same color. There was a pair of fingerless gloves sitting next to her for her purpose of swishing her hand slowly through the cold water. Her blue hair was set in a high ponytail. Quietly, Cindy sat next to her.

They sat in silence for a while. Did the girl know that there was another girl sitting next to her? Cindy eyed the girl and tapped her shoulder, but got no response. She poked her again for extra measure.

"...I know you're there, Miss," she quietly uttered.

Cindy saw her turn her head to face her. She had sparking aquamarine eyes that glinted with the sunset. The ginger haired girl offered a smile. "Hi. So... do you live here? Are you a traveler?"

The girl dryly laughed. "I wish I was. Until then, I just live here." She tucked in both legs (how she wasn't falling into the fountain was impressive) and set her head on her knees. "I've never seen you before. You must be a traveler. You're lucky. I'm not allowed to go out and travel."

Cindy felt a sympathetic pang hit her heart. "That's terrible! Why can't you go out and travel?"

"Ask my mother, she set the rules," she answered. She continued looking at the other girl before setting her feet back on the ground and holding a hand out with a small grin. "Stephanie."

The girl with the ginger hair decided to hold her hand out as well and shake Stephanie's. "My name's Cindy. But I bet you'll remember it as the name of the next Alola Top Coordinator!"

Stephanie gave a slightly optimistic smile. "You're a Coordinator? I always like watching Pokemon Contest on TV." She looked off somewhere. "Sometimes, I imagine myself doing contest. I just want to imagine myself out there with a Pokemon on a journey. I like watching the League Conferences, too. Ever since they introduced a League Conference three years ago, I've always imagined myself at the Victressend Conference."

Cindy cocked an eyebrow. "Victressend? What's a Victressend?"

"It's the city where the Grand Festival and the League Conference are. It's at the top of a great mountain. There's a north and a south Victressend City. South does contest, north does the League." She wistfully looked off again. "I find myself thinking about me climbing Mount Lanakila, showing the officials that pretty charm thing, and holding that trophy." She blushed. "I know it's a lofty dream, but I can't stop thinking about it. I just really wanna get out there and become someone I want to be."

It was a while as silence reigned supreme. While Cindy poked absentmindedly at her tablet device, Stephanie's mind looked like it was elsewhere. She was probably imagining herself as a Pokemon Coordinator or a Trainer at the League Conference. Soon enough, Cindy noted the time and stood up. "Darn... I think I have to return to the Pokemon Center."

Stephanie also stood up. At that point it was clear she was a bit younger and shorter. "So, you're heading to the Pokemon Center? Can I join you?"

"Um... sure." Cindy started a brisk walk to get back to the Center, but now she had a... was it too early to call Stephanie a friend? Anyway, she had a blue-haired girl walking alongside her like a loyal Arcanine. She seemed really intent on wanting to get to know her better. It was really a shame she had to stay in Hou'omaka Town.

* * *

The two managed to get back to the Pokemon Center without any problems stumbling their way. When the glass doors lid open, Cindy saw Allen situated in front of the desk. He turned around due to hearing their footsteps. "Hey, Cindy!" He approached her and took a loose end of her green scarf in his hand. "Did you just buy this? I like it!"

Cindy felt herself blushing due to the compliment. "U-uh, thanks...?" She looked down and dug her toes into the ground. "I'm not really used to people complimenting me, so I feel really awkward right now..."

Allen laughed and nudged his glasses back up. "Sorry. It's just that the scarf fits you so well." He looked to Cindy's right, where Stephanie was standing. "Oh? Who's this, Cindy?"

Before Cindy could introduce for her, Stephanie took a step forward and held her hand out. "I'm Stephanie. I live here in Hou'omaka Town."

"Allen," the boy introduced as he shook her hand. "I would introduce myself as a Pokemon Trainer taking on the Alola League challenge, but I still haven't signed up. If you really want to, you can watch me." He went back to the desk and rung a little bell set on the sleek counter top. "Nurse Joy! Nurse Joy! I'm here to sign up for the Alola League challenge!"

From the very back, the same Nurse Joy from some time ago popped out of the doorway and smiled. "Hello there! Say, weren't you here earlier today?" She set a tray down, the tray containing a Pokeball and a Litten sitting on it.

Allen gave a determined nod, then took his Pokeball. "Yep! I'm here again, this time to sign up for the League challenge and become Alola Champion!"

"What spirit!" the nurse pointed out. "You've been our most excited challenger in a long time!" She motioned to a part of the desk, which wasn't the normal polished pink like the rest of the counter. It was electronic and had many colors, and it had a special shape in the middle that seemed to detonate something would go there. "Do you have your PokeDex?"

Without a word as his eyes told the whole story, Allen took his PokeDex out.

Nurse Joy pointed to the pre-set shape on the glass. "If you've set your PokeDex up with your name and location, go ahead and place your PokeDex on the designated area! I'll also need to see your Trainer's License to complete the process!"

The two girls gathered on either side of Allen to watch, which gave Litten an opportunity to hop onto its Trainer's shoulder. While he handed his Trainer's License to Nurse Joy, he placed the PokeDex on the area he was instructed to. The screen danced around for a bit, then a few things appeared on screen, like a general description of the Trainer in question and a picture to accompany. The machine belted out a few things, like Allen's name, his hometown, and the number of Charm Pieces he had (which was pretty useless considering he didn't have any yet), then it settled back down with the colors slowly moving about.

"And that should do it!" the nurse exclaimed. "You're now signed up for the Alola League challenge! And because of that..." She turned around and snapped her fingers. While a Blissey in a hat came up to the boy holding a case, an unknown green and flowery Pokemon to Cindy came flying towards him and used its stubby arms to present something wooden on a string to him. It then used the lei it was holding and gave it to Allen. After the Pokemon stepped back, Nurse Joy came out from her desk and pointed to each item. "That's your Charm Case, where you'll store the Charms you earn from out Trial Captains! And that wooden thing is your Charm itself!"

Cindy wasted no time taking the Charm from Allen and inspecting it. "Oh, this is pretty!" On one side, there were eight individual divots, and on the other were four. Based on the history lesson she had received a few days ago, she knew that eight were from beating Trial Captains and the other four were from beating Island Kahunas.

Nurse Joy took the wooden pendent and set it in the middle of the case where it were to be stored. Around the Charm's divot in the velvety fabric were twelve other areas. Eight of them were small, four were a bit bigger.

The case was handed back to Allen, who accepted it with a smile. "Thank you! Now I can start collecting Charm Pieces and ultimately start my journey to become Champion of Alola!"

Cindy butted in and smiled at the nurse. "Okay, my turn to sign up for Pokemon Contest!"

"Woah, woah, woah!" Nurse Joy laughed with a smile. "If you want your Contest Pass, you'll have to get it at a Pokemon Contest Hall. At Pokemon Centers, we only provide services for signing up for the Alola League. By the way, the closest Contest Hall would be in Hau'oli City. You need to pass through Iki Town first." She looked at Stephanie, who had been mostly quiet for the entire time. "Are you interested in signing up for the League? You've been standing awfully quiet."

Stephanie's face paled as she shook her head. "N-no. I-I'm fine."

Nurse Joy gave a smile. "Well, if that's all I can do for you three, then I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening!" She walked back to her station.

Allen noted Stephanie's presence and put an arm around her. "Well, if you're interested in Pokemon Contest like my friend over there, you can tag along with us-"

"No," she interrupted, albeit quietly. "I can't."

"You can't? Don't be scared-"

"It's true, she can't," Cindy finished. "She told me that she can't go on a journey because her mother said..." She turned her focus to Stephanie. "Um... you never told me what your mother said."

Stephanie sat down on a couch and sighed. "My mother said that going on a journey is too dangerous and that I'll get terribly hurt." She leaned back and ran a hand through her blue hair. "I always tell her I'm fourteen now, but she doesn't care. When I asked my father, he said I could go. But my mother said no, and that was the end of that. Shame..." She looked up at the two with her aquamarine eyes. "I really like you two. You're very kind to each other, so you must be friendly to everyone. I really wanted to be friends with you... but you're travelling and you'll have to leave Hou'omaka Town. You can't stay because of me."

Cindy gave the smaller girl a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry that you can't go on a journey... if you could, we'd let you join us." She pulled her PokeTab out and noted the time. "Wow, time flew away so fast!" She put the tablet away and turned her attention back to Stephanie. "Do you need to be home by any time?"

The other girl looked at a watch-like device on her wrist and stood up. "You're right. It's almost seven-thirty. I have to be off." She started towards the door, but before she left, she looked at the two. "Um... do you think I can see you off tomorrow? I don't want today to be the last time we see each other..."

"Of course!" Allen walked up to Stephanie and smiled as he adjusted his glasses. "Maybe before we leave for Iki Town tomorrow, we can spend the whole day together. Would you like that?"

Stephanie gave the boy a small yet nervous smile. "I'd love that. I guess... I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then." She gave no other smile or wave as she ran out the sliding doors and off to presumably her home.

Allen once again rounded towards Cindy and pointed upwards. "C'mon, we better get ready for tomorrow. We can hang out in our room and admire this pretty Charm I now have."

Cindy nodded, then the two were off. They climbed the flight of stairs yet again, then approached them door to their room. Allen had the key card, so he unlocked the door so they could get in. Once they were in, the first thing Cindy did was sit down on the couch in front of the TV and sprawl out while flipping through the channels on the TV. She eventually settled on the Pokemon Battle Network, due to a request by Allen from across the room.

It felt like hours had passed as the sun sunk under the horizon and the stars shone in all their glory. The clock struck ten, so Cindy and Allen decided that the day was over and they should get some rest for the next day. When they were snug in their pajamas, Cindy instantly called top bunk and wasted no time cuddling up in the soft blankets the Center provided.

Even as she closer her eyes, Cindy's mind was still wide awake. They had finally made it to Hou'omaka Town. She had made a new friend, if she were to call Stephanie that already. She felt Litten curl up right on top of her as she finally allowed herself to slip away into sleep in a bad without the threat of her hair literally collecting every leaf near her.

* * *

 _At long last, our heroes have finally made it to Hou'omaka Town! There, Allen finally managed to sign up for the Alola League challenge to start his path to becoming Champion of Alola! Cindy also had a busy day, as she met Stephanie, a town local who sadly isn't allowed to explore the Alola region on a Pokemon journey. But this isn't the last day Allen and Cindy will see Stephanie: she's agreed to see the two off when they leave Hou'omaka Town the next day. With Cindy's goal to reach Hau'oli and Allen's to seek out his first Charm Piece, more exciting adventures are in store as the journey continues!_

* * *

A/N: Hello and welcome back! I present the next chapter! If you're wondering about Stephanie's importance, don't worry, this isn't the last chapter she'll appear in... she has major significance next chapter, so stay tuned for that!

By the way, if you're asking what Hou'omaka means, it's basically a combo of the Hawaiian words for 'new' and 'start'.

New in Hawaiian: Hou

Start in Hawaiian: Ho'omaka

(By the way, some episode names are too long for the dropdown/chapter name (like this one), so they may be shortened. Just keep in mind the one listed inside the story itself is the chapter name I coded the episode with!)


	7. Two's a Crowd, Three's a Journey!

Pokemon Delta Sun and Theta Moon

Written by SkittleBoxx

Episode 7: Two's a Crowd, Three's a Journey!

* * *

The next day, the bane of Cindy's existence entered the Pokemon Center room she was sleeping in: the sunlight. When the sun hit her eyes, she activated her best defense mechanism, rolling away from the sunlight and trying to get more sleep. It seemed to be working thus far, so she kept her eyes closed and rubbed her hand over Litten's tired head.

"Cindy, get up."

Cindy cracked a blue eye open, but then swatted her hand and closed that eye. "No... I'm still tired..."

Allen rolled his eyes and adjusted his glasses. He was already ready and dressed for the day ahead. In one hand he was clutching a soft pillow provided by the Pokemon Center. "We don't have all day to sleep. We've got things to do, like get some provisions for the road to Iki Town and Stephanie's waiting for us. She's going to be seeing us off later today, so we should get ready in case she's early."

Like last time, Cindy changed her position from facing a nagging companion to stuffing her whole face in the pillow, a few feathers flying out of the cushion. "We can wait five more minutes. I bet Stephanie understands that sleeping is necessary for my daily life-"

She was interrupted by the pillow Allen was holding smashing right onto her. From the impact, feathers flew everywhere in the room. A feather landed on Litten's nose, which caused it to sneeze an ember or two that quickly faded away before they posed any thread to the blanket Cindy refused to get out of.

Seeing that Cindy was still not up, Allen huffed. It seemed he jumped up and hovered in the same spot for a second as he rapid-fire nailed Cindy on the back of the head with the feather pillow. It was only when the pillow was deprived of the feathers it once had did he stop. There was really no use in using a clothe to try and wake a friend up.

Cindy, now buried under a massive pile of white feathers, finally rose from the mattress and rubbed her eyes. "Okay, fine! I'll get up, don't hit me with any more pillows!" She pushed all the feathers away from her and threw some back to Allen. "You're cleaning this up," she mused as she climbed down the ladder and picked up her day clothes. She went into the bathroom to get ready, Litten finally jumping down from the bed and wandering around the room in an effort to wait.

Soon enough, Cindy came out of the smaller room with her clothes on, signifying that she was finally ready for the day. She had her hands occupied by her hair which she was braiding. Litten wandered up to its Trainer and rubbed against her legs.

"Well, it seems Litten's ready," Allen commented. "I guess we should start heading down to the cafeteria? I hear that they serve free breakfast at this time!"

Cindy tied off her braid with her second green hair ribbon as her eyes widened. "Then we're going. It should be recognized as a crime to refuse food given to you for absolutely no cost." A smile took over her face as she grabbed Allen's wrist and ran towards the door. "C'mon! We gotta get some grub!"

The two ran out the door that Cindy kicked right open, then ran down a story of stairs. On the second floor was the cafeteria serving up breakfast classics, like cereal, eggs, and fresh MooMoo Milk. It seemed pretty much everyone in the Hou'omaka Pokemon Center was there, and Cindy and Allen were no exceptions. The girl picked out a free table that they could sit down at, so they headed towards it and set their belongs there so nobody would attempt to steal their chairs. They then went towards the buffet all-you-can-eat style and took a plate which they both filled with delicious breakfast food.

* * *

In a small home in Hou'omaka Town, a girl was sitting on the couch watching TV. On the TV was a rerun of a Pokemon Contest dated back two years ago. A famous man with aqua hair was making an appeal with a serpentine-like Pokemon, and the whole crowd was cheering so load that glass would've broken in that Contest Hall. She sighed, then took the remote in her hand and ran her thumb over the various buttons. She looked up wistfully, then started her mind up with her imagination. She was in a Pokemon Contest. People were cheering for her. She was being handed the Alola Ribbon Cup. Her and her Pokemon were stars.

She turned the TV off and set the remote back on the cushion next to her. She stood up and went to her room, only to clip a belt on. The belt had a pack attachment on the back, a style very popular among the girls in the tropical Hoenn region. She made sure she that the pack was snug and tight. Once she deemed the belt secure, she slipped an electronic watch-like device on her left wrist after she had slipped on her fingerless gloves.

While still in her room, she looked around. A giant map of the Hoenn region was on the wall, along with one of Alola. On the Hoenn map, there was a thumbtack stuck into an island that was northeast of the mainland. A globe sat on her desk. On the globe was a string connecting the two regions that were displayed on her wall. The white string connecting the regions was long, which in a way signified Alola's isolation from pretty much every other region. Nothing but water to keep the tropical region company.

On her desk and bed were figures or plushes of Pokemon. On the desk she had some figures of a Mudkip and Torchic. Along with that, a wire charger snaked across her desk, the wire that seemed to charge her electronic watch. The covering of the wire charger subtly read 'Devon Co.'. On her bed were plushes of a Skitty and a Treecko. Pretty much everything in her room screamed Hoenn. She knew she had not charger her electronic watch enough, so she unplugged the wire and stuffed it into her pack for when she got to the Pokemon Center.

She finally left her room and aimed for the door. Before she could twist the doorknob open, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to face her mother.

"Oh, uh..." She looked down a bit. "Hi, Mother."

The girl's mother looked at her daughter's attire, then quirked an eyebrow. "Stephanie, are you going somewhere?"

Stephanie shook her head. "No- I mean, not really. I met some very nice travelers from afar, and I agreed to see them off when they leave Hou'omaka Town."

"Travelers, huh?" She bent down and looked at her daughter square in the aquamarine eyes. "Are you just seeing them off, or are you going to follow them on a..." She stopped to scoff. "Pokemon journey?"

"No no." She tilted her head down even more. "I would never dare break your word. It's just that these travelers are very nice. If they were nice enough to have offered me a place in their journey... since I can't accept, the least I could do for them would be to see them off and wish them safe travels."

The mother looked away from her almost cowering daughter, then back at her with a sigh. "...alright, you can see your little friends off." She adjusted the black jacket she wore. "I have a business meeting I must attend in Ula'Ula Island, so your father will be here for the next few days to look over you. I swear to Arceus, if you take advantage of my absence to leave like you you tried to do three years ago, there will be trouble." She picked up a briefcase and offered a smile. "I'll be back in a few days. Bye bye, my sweet Steph!" Her mother strode out the door, leaving Stephanie behind.

Stephanie stood stone still for a second, then shrugged and tightened her high ponytail. She checked her belt and pack once again, then opened the door for herself and stepped into the bright sunlight of Alola.

As she walked to the Pokemon Center, she looked at every landmark she knew. She was away from the residential neighborhood area that her family lived in, and she was now in the heart of the town. The fountain was still going. Her favorite sitdown restaurant was in a line of various stores. The paved ground of the town square offered many thing to do with all the shops around the area. A little way away, a public park where families were relaxing and kids were battling. Stephanie sighed to herself. If such little kids could face of in small battles with others, why couldn't she? What bad did her mother see in a Pokemon journey?

* * *

In the Hou'omaka Town Pokemon Center, Cindy was generally relaxing on the base level of the Pokemon Center. Her and Allen had finished breakfast a few hours earlier, so before they headed off on the road to Iki Town, Cindy had suggested that they should relax and make sure that they had all of their supplies and provisions in check. Well, Allen didn't get the relaxation part of the memo, but he offered to stop at Hou'omaka Town's Pokemon Mart (or the PokeMart, many people called it) to stock up on food, Pokeballs, and other things a traveler would need.

Some people were crowding around the TV, where a contest was showing. Dated back two years, there was a Contest Battle going on. Everyone around the TV was cheering for the Coordinator with the aqua hair and Water Type Pokemon, seeming to make the other Coordinator with the yellow and dark brown dragon Pokemon invisible. Despite this being a contest rerun from the past, the people were shouting at the TV the same way dedicated contest fans would at a live showing. Cindy found a smile creeping onto her face. If people liked contest this much in Alola, she was going to experience whatever this man on the TV was going through.

Her thoughts of being heeded by adoring fans was interrupted by the small bell above the Pokemon Center doors chiming. Cindy stood up, ready to greet Allen, but instead she was looking at a small blue-haired girl.

"Stephanie!" Cindy ran up to her. "I thought you were gonna see us off later?"

Stephanie shook her head. "No. I wanted to spend more time with you guys, considering that this is the last time I'll ever see you again... well, I'll see you during contests and I'll be rooting for you, but..." She sighed. "This is gonna be the last time I see you guys in person. So I wanted to make these last hours with you the best. You're very kind, and I like that about you and... whatever his name was."

Cindy smiled with a soft laugh. "We're really that nice? Never thought about that." Litten peeked over Cindy's shoulder. "And it looks like Litten wants to say hello, too."

"Wow, is that really a Litten?" Without Cindy's permission, Stephanie lifted Litten off of Cindy's shoulder and held it in her hands. "I've only seen a Litten in that one contest I watched the other day. But not the one that's playing over there. A different one."

Cindy scuffled a little closer to Stephanie to pat Litten's head. "You seem to talk about contest a lot. Are you interested in becoming a Pokemon Coordinator one day?"

Stephanie shrugged a bit. "I'm not sure. I can't go on a journey, so I have no idea what I want to do. All I really do is watch Pokemon related TV programs like Pokemon Contest and the Victressend Conference and imagine myself doing that. If I were to go on a journey, I would probably just walk around Alola, explore, and meet many Pokemon. I heard some Pokemon in Alola look different than the same species in other regions, specifically Kantoian Pokemon. But I haven't seen one for myself, so I don't know. I heard south of here is where tall Exeggutor like to hang out sometimes."

While Stephanie continued gushing over Litten, Cindy looked up in her thoughts. Tall Exeggutor... were those the walking palm trees in Celestiluna City? Did that mean that Pokemon in Alola were taller than normal?

"So... where is your boyfriend?"

Cindy aimed a glare at Stephanie with an irritated blush. "We're not together, we're traveling together. Besides who has time for romance novel trash in real life when you can become a Top Coordinator?"

Stephanie gave her a smirk with smug eyes. "You sure?"

"Listen, you just agreed to see me and Allen off, not nag about our friendship which doesn't extend beyond friendship."

The smaller girl giggled. "Okay, I believe you. Isn't that what friends do? Joke about each other?"

Cindy felt some pang of sympathy hit her, along with sadness. Stephanie was calling her a friend, but she knew that she and Allen would be leaving Hou'omaka Town and probably to never come back to the small town. She tried to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat out of what felt like pure guilt. "Y-yeah. Friends joke around about each other."

Like it had been planned for that beat of silence that passed by, the Pokemon Center doors opened. Allen entered the Center with some bags in hand. "Hey-" He stopped himself upon seeing Stephanie. He beamed at her. "Hey, Stephanie!" He ran towards the two girls and set the bags down near his green sneakers. "You're already here to see us off?"

"No no," she replied, "I wanted to spend more time with you guys before you leave. This is probably gonna be the last time you ever come to Hou'omaka Town, so I'll never see you guys again in person."

Allen nudged his glasses up and put an arm around the smaller girl. "Hey, don't get so down. If we ever come back to Celestiluna City, we'll come and visit!"

Cindy sat down on one of the couches nearby and nodded. "Yeah, we'll visit!" She looked at Litten. "Isn't that right, Litten?"

Even Litten nodded in agreement.

Stephanie looked at the two, then scrunched her face up like she was trying to hold back her emotions. "B-but... that'll be a long time... and you're so nice, and..." She seethed a breath in through gritted teeth. "I-I'll miss you two! You're nicer than anyone I've ever met in this town, and I don't wanna see you leave!"

The other girl stood up and wrapped her arms around the borderline crying one. "Hey, don't cry now. We're still in Hou'omaka Town. We don't have to leave yet." Cindy watched as Litten traversed over her shoulder and onto Stephanie's. "See? Even Litten wants you to know that you shouldn't cry now."

Stephanie, who was on the verge of tears, broke the hug with Cindy to embrace Little instead. "Oh, Litten... I'll miss you, too..." She let out a quiet sob and a sniffle. "I'll miss everyone here... so much..." She gave Litten back to Cindy as she covered her face with her hands.

Allen adjusted his glasses and took the place of Cindy's job minutes ago, which was hugging Stephanie. "I know, I would be sad if my friends had to leave, too. But I promise, we'll come and visit when we come back to Celestiluna City. It's the least we could do after cheering us on though the TV screen, whether it me in a Pokemon Contest or at the Victressend League Conference." He broke the embrace a bit but still held onto her shoulders. "I wish you could come along with us, you look like you'd be a good person to hang around with."

The smaller girl's face flushed red from the semi compliment, but it was almost undetectable due to the blotchy red patches on her face from her emotional outburst. "I-I wish I could, too. But my mother..." She sniffled and wiped a tear away from her aquamarine eyes. "She doesn't want me on a journey. She's worried that I'll get hurt."

"Um, Allen," Cindy said, "it's now about two 'o clock. Should we get going now?"

The only boy of the group looked at his watch (not electronic like Stephanie's) and somberly nodded. "...yeah." He looked at Stephanie and sighed. "We're gonna leave now... do you want to walk with us to the edge of Hou'omaka Town?"

Stephanie's once shining eyes full of life were now devoid of any pep or happiness. "...I guess..." She pulled her ponytail tighter and stiffed another sob. "L-let's go..."

The trio all agreed with a slow nod from each, Allen grabbing the shopping bags and stuffing the contents into his green backpack and Cindy's watermelon-like bag before returning the key card to the front desk and leaving. The Alolan sunshine never failed its shining as the northwest edge of Hou'omaka Town came closer and closer. Every step, Stephanie's face would seem to darken despite how bright the sun was. The moment she never wanted to come was here. Allen and Cindy were leaving Hou'omaka Town.

Allen and Cindy stepped forward so the paved area that made up Hou'omaka Town was no longer under their feet. Stephanie stayed on the paved side, her head tilted down so low that it was near impossible to see her eyes. Her hands were fisted near her sides and shaking, probably due to how hard she was squeezing them to channel her emotions away from her face.

"I-I guess this is g-goodbye..." the smaller girl barely whispered.

Cindy approached Stephanie to give her one last hug. When they broke the hug, Cindy gave a wave without a smile as she turned to leave, and so did Stephanie. Cindy took a few steps forward towards the road-

"No."

Both girls stopped their walking to face Allen.

"No, this isn't goodbye." He took a few steps closer to Stephanie and grinned. "You're not staying here in Hou'omaka Town. You don't have to say goodbye."

Stephanie locked sight with the enthusiastic forest green ones Allen had. He was smiling like he had a good idea. The girl shook her head. "Is... is this a..."

Cindy gasped. "But, Allen! She's already told you she can't go with us-"

Allen held a hand up, effectively silencing the ginger-haired girl. "Stephanie, how old are you?"

"Fourteen. But my mother makes the rules-"

"Just listen for a second." He set a hand on her shoulder. "I know what your mother said about your and the journey thing. But you're old enough to make your own decisions. So, if you want to go with us... we're always open to new members of the group."

Stephanie felt tears pricking at her eyes again, but these weren't tears of sadness. "But w-what about my mother-"

"If she finds us, I'll take every ounce of blame for you. If you go with us, it won't be your fault for joining us, but my fault for asking you to." He walked back towards Cindy and nudged his glasses. "So, here's the question: are you ready for your Pokemon journey?"

Cindy felt a smile on her face as she swung her hand in to herself, a sign that signaled someone to come to where they were. Although she said no words, her smile spoke a million.

"I..." Stephanie didn't even look back to Hou'omaka Town as she broke out into a smile and tears of joy ran down her face. "Yes!" She ran towards the two and hugged them both. "I'm ready to go on my journey! Thank you, Allen!"

Allen broke the embrace and laughed. "And our third member of the group has joined!" He held up a hand and looked at the girls. "Alright, up top, everyone!"

The trio lifted their hands up and group high-fived, then broke into an onslaught of giddy laughter as they all ran on the dirt trail leading to Iki Town. All hand-in-hand, they ran up a hill and leaped at the highest point, hollering in joy as it seemed the journey had already become three times as fun as it was before. The road to Iki Town was going to be even better than the road to Hou'omaka Town, and even the newest member of the group knew it.

* * *

 _As our heroes sprint to Iki Town, Allen and Cindy have some new company in the form of a friend made in Hou'omaka Town! Due to Allen's brave offer of taking the blame for her if her mother catches her, Stephanie took what seemed like the best offer of her life- a chance to travel the Alola region with her friends! No matter if Stephanie decides to become a Coordinator, a Trainer, or just enjoy Alola with Pokemon, the future Stephanie has always dreamed of is right ahead of her as the journey continues!_

* * *

A/N: Next chapter is here for you! I didn't mean to make Stephanie's "goodbye" as sad as it was, I almost cried a few times. But now, we have a third protagonist! The more the merrier, they say. Well... until the next chapter!


	8. Rockruff 'n' Roll!

Pokemon Delta Sun and Theta Moon

Written by SkittleBoxx

Episode 8: Rockruff 'n' Roll!

* * *

Trees and a straight forward dirt path. To Cindy and Allen, this was the true sight of a Pokemon journey. Absolutely nothing but a dirt path and trees. Maybe a jerkish rival somewhere like before (hopefully not), but really nothing else. For the slightly more experienced travelers, it was nothing but the path to the next town, which in this case, was Iki Town.

Tell that to Stephanie and get her to believe it was just trees and a dirt path.

Instead of focusing on the road ahead and the occasional head tilt up to watch the clouds drift away, Stephanie was doing anything but. She was rocketing around her new companions like the world was ending. Except it wasn't, and Stephanie was just running around to look for Pokemon. She wove around her friends constantly, even in between them. Once, she managed to accidentally trip Cindy which caused Allen to trip as well. While the two were on their faces, the younger was sticking hers in between trees and calling out for Pokemon.

It seemed Stephanie was having fun. Way too much fun it seemed for her two companions.

On what seemed like her millionth time around Allen and Cindy, she ran ahead of them and peered between some trees again. "Here, Pokemon!"

"...what are you trying to accomplish, anyway?" Cindy asked Stephanie and herself somewhat.

Stephanie turned to face her ginger-haired friend. "Oh... I'm looking for Pokemon. I don't have one right now. Plus, since I don't know if I'm interested in becoming a Coordinator or taking on the League challenge, I really want to see lots of Pokemon. I especially want to see Pokemon from my old home region."

Allen bent down to relace his shoe (Stephanie had stepped on it while on a mad dash to find Pokemon). "You're not from Alola?"

"Not Alolan born." She swung her left hand out and displayed the electronic watch. "I'm from the Hoenn region. It's another tropical region far away from Alola. In case you couldn't tell what a PokeNav is, which is the watch I wear. I come from a little island northeast of the mainland. It's called Mossdeep City."

Cindy and Litten looked at each other, then back to the smaller girl. "Mossdeep?"

She nodded, her high blue ponytail bouncing along. "Yep. They have a space center, and I heard that the Mossdeep Space Center and the Alolan Space Center in Celestiluna City are working together. I don't know what they wanna do, but they want to research space. I think it's cool that regions work together despite how isolated Alola is from any other region."

"Really? Is Alola that diverse?" Cindy put a thoughtful hand on her chin. "I thought Alolans would dominate this place considering how it takes a little over twenty-four hours to fly from Sinnoh to Alola."

"Or how it takes about a day to get to Alola if you're coming from Johto," the only boy in the group mused quietly.

Cindy snapped over to Allen. "You mean... after all this time... thinking that you were from Alola... you're not."

Allen adjusted his silver frames and gave a thumbs up. "Yep. Johtoian. I'm way too young to remember, but my mother and father have said that we came from a city that's just like Alola. Tropical and filled with beaches. I think it was called Cianwood City." He looked to Stephanie. "Hey, Stephanie. Why doesn't your mother want you on a journey, anyway?"

Stephanie looked back like she were trying to see Hou'omaka Town. They had been traveling for a few hours together, so even thinking of an attempt would be in vain. "I heard that my mother tried going on a journey when she was my age. But she got really hurt after some gang of... well, gangsters that have been sulking around Alola since people started mass immigrating here got behind her and almost pushed her off a cliff. She didn't land on the rocks, thankfully, but a small overhanging patch of land below."

"So that's why?" Cindy thought back to Celestiluna City and went back to the view behind Professor Kukui's home. The cliff's drop did look rather sharp. It would really hurt to fall on those rocks. If someone pushed her off a cliff and she got hurt on those rocks, she probably wouldn't want to continue a journey.

"After that... my mother didn't continue her journey but instead became a businesswoman. Even now and then she makes sure that those thugs are away from Hou'omaka Town. Team... I forgot their name. Team Bones, was it?" Stephanie shrugged. "I guess her worry extended to me. I can see why she would fear a Pokemon journey because of that, but that was years ago. Team Spine hasn't really been heard of for several years now. It's like they've almost disappeared."

"Makes sense," Allen commented after the story. "Fear can really prohibit people from doing what they want. Like when Ryan went to the lab and proclaimed he got his first Pokemon and told me that if I ever followed him to Victressend, there would be dire consequences. I stayed in my home for a week straight after that, Cindy bumped into me when I finally got the courage to go to the lab." He nervously nudged his glasses. "Cindy, you saw how that turned out, didn't you?"

The youngest of the group quirked an eyebrow. "Ryan? Is he a friend?"

Cindy turned to Stephanie and shook her head along with Litten. "Far from it. It's hard to explain, but the simplest I can sum it up... he's a rival. A very bad rival."

After a single understanding nod, the group went silent again. Aside from the stray call of a Pokemon that seemed to excite Stephanie, not much happened. The sun was slowly descending as the sky was painted with streaks of faded gold and orange. Stephanie really didn't care about the sky when she had more important things to be doing, like sticking her face into trees and collecting more leaves in her ponytail or almost tripping her friends again.

The chain of events played this way for some time. It was only when Stephanie heard a Pokemon's cry from the other side of the worn dirt path did she run towards it while tripping on the lump that had settled on the road did the formula shake up a bit.

While on the ground, Stephanie rubbed her head. "Ouch... what a way to start a journey..." She sat up and inched her face closer to the thing she had tripped on. The thing was staring at her in return with blue puppy-dog eyes. "Wah! I just tripped over a Pokemon!" She crawled towards it and poked it a few times. "Fuzzy fur! It's soft!"

Allen got down next to Stephanie and adjusted his glasses. "And a Rockruff, too! Man, I'm getting some flashbacks..."

"So... what are you gonna do, guys? Stare at a Pokemon?" Cindy muttered from afar.

On the ground, the most quiet (and awkward to Cindy) staring contest was being held. Stephanie, Allen, and a wild Rockruff. Aquamarine eyes, forest green eyes, blue eyes. Nobody moved except Litten on Cindy's shoulder, who had hopped down onto the ground and was growling at the wild Puppy Pokemon. The two teens with the cool-colored hair simply watched the Pokemon.

"I WANT IT!" they both suddenly shouted at the same time.

Cindy facepalmed. "Allen, why do you want another Rockruff? You already have a Rockruff!"

"Well, if Rockruff had another Rockruff to communicate with," he explained, "maybe another Rockruff could help my Rockruff. Rockruff would trust me, and then we'd become Alola Champions. So that's why I need this Rockruff!"

"You already have one! I don't have a Pokemon, so it's mine!" Stephanie dove towards the wild Rockruff, but the Puppy Pokemon darted away and left the youngest to grab some air and dirt instead. She got back up and crawled on her hands and knees. "Come back!" She turned away and looked at Allen. "Look, you scared it away!"

"I scared it away? You almost used Tackle on it!"

Meanwhile, Cindy picked Litten up and held it in her arms. "Guys, it's a Rockruff. This isn't the only Rockruff left in the world, we can find another-" She sighed as she caught sight of Allen and Stephanie both grabbing onto a Pokeball and trying to tug it away from each other. "Guys..." She strode towards them and handed Stephanie her own Pokeball. "If you really think this is the most important thing in the world, go catch it. But it's gonna be your fault if we don't even make it to Hau'oli City in time for the Hau'oli Contest..."

While Stephanie ran into the trees to hopefully chase down her prize, Allen let her go as he rounded towards Cindy. He took his glasses off and handed them to the ginger-haired teenager. "Hold these for me. If I were to chase Stephanie down, these things would break for sure." Allen smiled and turned around to where Stephanie had disappeared and he followed... well, not before he bumped into a few trees. He looked back at what he presumed to be Cindy and gave her a thumbs up.

"...Allen, you literally cannot see anything, I'm going with you." She slipped the frames into her bag and followed her practically blind friend into the bordering forest.

The trees weren't tightly packed together, but there was enough shade to at least obstruct the most negligible details. Small flowers dotted the grass under her feet, and if she had the hearing of a Pokemon with crazy large ears, she could better hear Stephanie shouting at a Rockruff as it probably ran away from her.

She continued to traverse the small chunk of woods on the side of the path in the hopes of finding a crazy companion on the hunt for a Pokemon. It seemed like she was walking in circles for years until she found herself at a sunny clearing. The clearing was on the top of a small rolling cliff that would get one a bit dirty if one were to accidentally trip and slide down. Overlooking the drop was a beautiful scene that looked like it was ripped out of a storybook. A sunset behind some gentle mountains capped with snow. She extended her arms and let her hair gently dance with the wind as Litten seemed to be enjoying the sun on it's face.

Cindy turned to Litten and sighed contently. "Wow... Litten, isn't this awesome?" She took a slow breath in and exhaled. She looked at the orange sun that painted the sky golden and scarlet along with the sandy orange clouds completing the scene. If one were to take a picture of the scenery and Cindy, it would've made an awesome movie poster. "Sometimes things like this make me even happier that we moved to Alola. It would be way too cold to enjoy this back at Hearthome City..." She took another slow breath in as she closed her bright blue eyes.

"Rockruff, come back!"

Cindy turned around, and there were her two companions. She saw a Rockruff graze her legs, but Allen and Stephanie showed no signs of stopping. They were way too intent on catching the wild Puppy Pokemon that Cindy was just a roadblock that would eventually get run over if her friends didn't stop.

"Guys!" Cindy frantically shouted, "slow down! You're going too fast-"

 _THUD!_

It was Stephanie that crashed into Cindy, and Allen backed up the whole collision. While Rockruff skidded down the gentle drop like it had practiced doing so a million times before this moment, the three stumbled backwards and all tumbled down the slope. After a scant few seconds of rolling and somersaulting, all three finally slid to a halt at the level grassy base.

Cindy was the first to stand up. She grabbed the bottom of her shirt and sighed. "Aww... but the Pokemon Center just cleaned this shirt..."

Allen and Stephanie helped each other up, then the boy went over to the taller girl and fished his glasses out of Cindy's bag. He arched an eyebrow as he inspected the pristine condition of the frames. "Wow. With that tumble we took, I would've expected my glasses to break." He nudged them back on his nose and blinked a few times as his vision cleared. "Ah, that's way better! Thanks for holding onto them for me!"

Stephanie joined the little huddle and brushed some loose dirt off of her bare shoulders. "And Rockruff even got away... that's a big failure..."

Both Allen and Stephanie sighed to express their desperation, but they seemed to stop mid-sigh as the same Rockruff that had led them at the base of a slope walk by them. They didn't move their heads from prime sigh position, but they shifted their eyes from the Rockruff to the other.

Eventually the two gained mobility as they started to follow Rockruff. Cindy followed along, probably only for the purpose of avoiding separation like last time. Rockruff turned its head backwards often to make sure that the humans were close behind.

The trio of teenagers and Rockruff continued to walk along. It was important to make sure that they never lost sight of Rockruff, there wasn't exactly a path that designated where they were supposed to be going like the path to Iki Town. Perhaps Rockruff was guiding them along a secret shortcut? Why would a wild Pokemon demand humans follow it? That was something trained Pokemon usually did under the command of their Trainers.

It seemed like minutes passed as all three Trainers followed Rockruff. When Cindy was just about to call the mission quits, Rockruff turned around and barked for their attention. The three then watched as the Puppy Pokemon jumped trough some low-lying bushes and disappeared. Well, not for long, anyway. Rockruff poked its head up over the bushes and beckoned them to follow.

"Where are we going?" Cindy asked herself quietly. "Why does a wild Pokemon need our help?"

As soon as she asked the question, the answer seemed to appear right before her and the other two members of the group.

Tucked away in a shaded grove was a whole pack of wild Rockruff. They all seemed to note the presence of the humans, so they got up from the soft and lush grass to approach them. The Rockruff seemed to communicate a point across each other, and soon enough, every Puppy Pokemon in the pack (about twenty) shifted out of the way and created a corridor to reveal one lone Rockruff still laying down.

"There's another Rockruff!" Stephanie quirked an eyebrow. "But why isn't it with the others? Don't wild Pokemon have a tendency to stay in groups?"

The lone Rockruff slowly turned its head to the three, then got up. It walked towards them, but one thing was clear: it was limping as it walked. It stopped only after a few more steps, quietly whimpering as it held a front paw up.

Allen bent down onto his knees and crawled towards Rockruff. He gently picked it up and held it in his arms. "Guys, this Rockruff is hurt. I think it hurt its paw."

Cindy also bent down and looked to all the other Rockruff. "Is this why you chased us here? Did you want us to help Rockruff because it couldn't go up and ask for itself?"

One healthy Rockruff trotted up to Allen and barked with a nod. It nudged his leg, then turned around and barked to where presumably the path to Iki Town was.

Stephanie looked at the Rockruff Allen was holding, then tightened her blue ponytail. "So... I think we should get back on the path to Iki Town and get to their Pokemon Center. Nurse Joy always knows what to do when a Pokemon is injured."

"Right," Allen agreed. He stood up with Rockruff in his arms and patted its head. "Don't worry, buddy. You'll be back to rejoin your family as soon as we can get you to Iki Town." He looked up at the sky which was darkening by the second. "But what even happened to you? Did you tumble down that slope like we did? It wasn't that sharp of a drop..."

Cindy hauled herself back onto her feet and dusted her shorts off. "Whatever caused this, we should fix it. So, back on the path to Iki Town we go!" She gave a determined smile, but then her face dropped. "Um... where exactly do we get back on the path?"

One of the Rockruff ran up to a gentle slope leading back to the forest and motioned towards it with its fuzzy head.

The three humans gave their final farewells to the pack of Puppy Pokemon, then ran up the gentle slope. After a quick trek through the forest, the oh so familiar path showed up again.

On the path again, after a little walking, the decision to set up cap was made. While Cindy taught Stephanie how to hold the ropes of setting up a campsite, Allen sat near them while holding Rockruff in his arms. He watched as the girls set up camp as he gently patted the head of the borderline asleep wild Pokemon. He then lay down on the soft grass with Rockruff on his chest and sighed. "How did you even get hurt, anyway? And why? But no matter how, we'll get you back to full health and you can return to your family."

* * *

 _Another day, another Pokemon! As Stephanie becomes more familiar with the prospect of her very own Pokemon journey, a Pokemon itself comes to greet our heroes! After a little scuffle on who would get to claim a wild Rockruff, that leads Allen, Cindy, and Stephanie into a crazy forest chase! What comes out of a wild tumble down a slope is a view of a pack of wild Rockruff! However, not everything is Butterfree and rainbows as the group finds an injured Rockruff. With a new resolve to get Rockruff the treatment it needs, the path to Iki Town is even more important to the three as the journey continues!_

* * *

A/N: Hey, guys! Here's a new chapter, fresh and ready to read! As you may have noticed, I have a designated day to my uploads, which is Friday. I don't know if next chapter will be delayed or not due to the Christmas hastle, but I will try my best to give you guys the gift of Episode 9 on time. Just don't be alarmed if an upload is a little late, the holidays are fast approaching!

So, hope you enjoyed, and make sure to stayed tuned for more next week!


	9. A Night Rowlet's Surprise!

Pokemon Delta Sun and Theta Moon

Written by SkittleBoxx

Episode 9: A Night Rowlet's Surprise!

* * *

New adventures always give the chance to experience new opportunities.

That rhetoric held true to a certain member of the group who had never experienced camping under the stars before.

Unlike a certain ginger-haired member of the group, Stephanie seemed to accept the idea of camping. As her and Cindy built the camp in a grassy clearing somewhat off the side of the dirt path (while Allen lay down on the side and took care to watch their injured Rockruff), a smile had found its way onto the smaller girl's face and it just would not leave. Pretty much anything that related to a Pokemon journey made Stephanie beam like a giddy schoolgirl with her first Lillipup crush.

Eventually, the camp was set and ready, Stephanie's innocent and excited smile still visible on her face. Due to accepting the offer to go on a journey on the whim and without thinking of any repercussions, the smaller blue-haired girl had no nightclothes or a sleeping bag at the very least. However, her two kind traveling companions happily supplied her with the necessary items for a good night's sleep. They all eventually decided that Stephanie would sleep in the tent with Cindy while Allen would sleep outside.

However, nobody ever told Stephanie how hard it could be sometimes to sleep in new environments: especially when you were a night Rowlet.

In the tent, while the ginger-haired girl slept soundly beside her, Stephanie had her arms folded behind her head as she stared up at the tent. She removed a hand from behind her head to smooth out her nightclothes, which was just another one of Cindy's flowing silk nightgowns. She tilted her head up a bit and managed to see through the blanket of shadows ahead of her. The nightgown had elegant embroidering and an image of a small blue penguin-like Pokemon blowing bubbles. It was cute, but it didn't help the effort of going to sleep.

Stephanie withheld the urge to groan in frustration in fear that would wake her friends. Instead, she gently tugged at the ends of her blue hair. Her hair was out of its high ponytail, and if anyone were looking, they could now see how long her hair really was. It was almost as long as Cindy's hair, covering her whole back.

The girl in the middle of her struggle turned around in her sleeping bag and smooshed her face into the pillow. Maybe that would help her get some shut eye. And for some odd reason, after closing her eyes for a few minutes, the door to her world of dreams opened.

* * *

 _Running. She was running. And she was running fast._

 _She would look back to where she came, and there were those two figures. They were chasing after her and they wouldn't slow down._

 _In fright, she unlocked a burst of speed and gingerly slalomed through the trees of the thick forest. Although it was dark, she knew where she was going: away from these figures that wanted something to do with her._

 _Eventually, after many more moments of terrified running, she came to a clearing. She could hear the waves breaking and crashing below the drop of the cliff behind her. She turned to keep running, but a rock face blocked her from progressing any further. It was a dead end, and the people were still after her._

 _"'Ey! There she is!"_

 _She turned her face. pale with nervousness, to the voice. Emerging from the trees was a man with vibrant blue hair and black clothes. He wore a tattered tank top and a bandanna muffled some of his words. Seconds later, a pink haired woman with the same gaudy fashion emerged from the forest to stand next to her partner n crime._

 _"W-what do you want from me?" she asked._

 _The woman took a few steps towards her. "We want nothin' outta ya." Her face seemed to soften. "'Ey, kiddo. C'mere. I ain't gonna hurt ya."_

 _"Um, I was told not to talk to strangers- oh?" Before she could finish, both people took a firm hold of either one of her arms and walked her towards the cliff's edge. She took the time to look out at the sea, which was raging with anger yet somehow wonderful and beautiful at the same time. The full moon was peeking from the mostly clover-covered sky. "Oh... it's beautiful..."_

 _"See, kid?" the man spoke, "we ain't gonna hurt ya. Now, I heard you're on one of 'em Pokemon journeys?"_

 _She nodded. "Yes. It's always been my dream to go on one. Some very nice friends gave me the offer too, and I couldn't turn them down."_

 _The woman strode behind her and put her hands on her back. "Well, congrats. As totally nice and not suspicious gangster-lookin' peeps, we're 'bout to give ya a well-needed push in the right direction. For the sake of yo journey."_

 _"Wait... push in the right direction?"_

 _The man cackled. "Yes! A good 'ol push!" He also came behind the smaller girl and put his hands on her back. "Have fun on yo journey, courtesy of Team Skull!"_

 _Before the girl could react, she was literally shoved forward. Due to the absence of a wall or anything to block her, she stumbled right off the edge of the cliff she was looking off of previously._

 _There were sharp rocks coming her way. There was no overhanging patch of land to save her, like her mother. The rocks- her fate- came closer and closer-_

* * *

Stephanie awoke with a gasp.

As she put a hand over her pounding heart, she looked around. She was sitting up in her sleeping bag, and Cindy was fast asleep next to her. There was no view of a cliff or gangster people. It was a dream.

A bead of sweat ran don her neck as she sat stone still in silence. Eventually, she decided to move and peek her head out of the tent. Allen was asleep near the flicking embers of the dying campfire, and the stars were still suspended in the inky blue sky. It was still nighttime.

She didn't even need to take a trial run to know that she wouldn't be able to fall back asleep. Quietly, as to not disturb the other girl, Stephanie crawled out of the purple tent and stood up once she was clear. She took her day clothes and folded them up in her arms. If she wasn't going to be able to fall asleep again, what was the use of walking around in nightclothes?

After swiftly changing into the grey sleeveless top and indigo miniskirt, she clipped her dark blue belt on and slipped her knee-high indigo boots. She put her black fingerless gloves on strode towards the forest. She grazed a hand over every tree slowly as she remembered the terrifying dream she just had. Team Fibula-Whats-It chasing her down in a forest and leading her to a cliff's edge before shoving her off of it like her mother. Was Team Pelvis out in this exact forest? If they were, were they after her?

A shriek of a wild Pokemon startled her. The last time she was in a forest, she had some friends and it was daytime. However, she was alone at night. The eerie feel of the forest made each sound seem dangerous. Who knew what kind of Pokemon would be out here at this time? If there were dangerous Pokemon, she was toast-

 _SNAP!_

Stephanie had no time to think about what caused that noise as she shrieked and ran full speed ahead. Tree after tree passed her, so she was running pretty fast. Even as she felt herself slowly loosing her breath, she pressed on in hopes that whatever was chasing her would give up and let her be. The stick that she had stepped on had no intent on chasing her, though.

She was basically running from nothing.

A few minutes later, Stephanie skidded to a halt in a clearing of the forest. Trees surrounded her every which way and their leafy tops obstructed the starry sky above, but it did little to dampen the feeling of relief she felt. Soft tall grass reached up to grab her boots, and small little flowers dotted the grass. In the center of the clearing was a fallen tree that was perfect for a sitting log. It did have a bit of moss on it, so it probably fell a few months ago or something like that.

The forest was already as dangerous as it was, so sitting on a log wouldn't affect how safe she actually was. The clearing made her feel safer, so sitting on the fallen log wouldn't do anything much rather than make her feel safe. With that in mind, Stephanie walked to the log and sat on it.

Upon sitting on the log, something changed. It felt like the forest wasn't dangerous to her, but it seemed... alive, but in a good way. Like it was enchanted. There would be little fireflies and mushroom houses. Cries of wild Pokemon that set her on edge would make her feel like a rebellious princess who had refused the position of royalty. She'd be surrounded by animal friends like adorable Pachirisu and Dedenne and a talking Rowlet.

A coo noise from beside her caught her attention.

Stephanie turned her head to face the noise.

It was an owl-like Pokemon. It was a light brown color primarily, but had feathers coated with green mixed in. Along with green feathers, it had an adorable green bowtie. Add that with the chubby round shape, this Pokemon was positively endearing. Even Stephanie couldn't deny the reality of the adorable situation.

The girl looked at the owl and smiled. "Um... hey. Do you need something?"

The Pokemon cooed again and hopped up and down.

"Hold on just a second..." she muttered. She found the clip that held her PokeNav on her wrist and unbuckled it. She held up the device and pressed a button reading "DexNav". Then, she pointed the device at the wild Pokemon until it beeped.

 _Rowlet, the Grass Quill Pokemon. Rowlet is a nocturnal Pokemon that uses energy from photosynthesis during the nighttime hours. It can fly without making any external sound, and it has very powerful legs despite how small they look. It can also attack from a distance with razor sharp feathers that it uses like arrows._

"So you're a Rowlet?" she inquired.

Rowlet chirped and hopped a bit closer to Stephanie. The Grass Quill Pokemon flapped its wings and perched itself onto Stephanie's shoulder.

The girl smiled while laughing. "Aren't you cute?" She used a finger to replcate what she had seen Cindy and Litten do countless times: scratch the bottom of the Pokemon's head. Rowlet started cooing again as it cuddled closer to the girl's hair. She smiled softly. "Do you live here, Rowlet? Because if you do, can you help me? I got lost here by accident. Well, I voluntarily walked into this forest without knowing why, but..." She sighed. "Whatever. Do you think you could help me out of the forest?"

Rowlet flapped its wings and removed itself from Stephanie's shoulders. It landed on a branch in a tree, where it then extended a fluffy wing out and pointed in a direction. If that wasn't enough, Rowlet used its beak to pull a loose feather out of its wing. With that feather, it shot the streamline projectile in the exact direction it was pointing.

"Woah, that's awesome! Thanks, Rowlet!" Stephanie stood up and followed where the feather arrow went. As soon as she set a foot outside the grove, a sudden shift of weight on her shoulder stopped her.

It was Rowlet.

Stephanie picked Rowlet off of her shoulder and walked back to the log. "Rowlet, I'm sorry I can't stay any longer. I need to get back to my friends." She patted the Grass Quill Pokemon's head a few times before striding back to the edge.

Rowlet simply flew off the log and perched back onto Stephanie's shoulder.

"Rowlet, this is getting ridiculous." She took Rowlet off of her shoulder and looked at it straight in the adorable beady eyes. "I have two friends out there. They're become very worried when they don't see me because I didn't tell them I would be leaving. Now please, we'll both go home. I go "home" to my friends, and you go home to your nest or something." She set Rowlet on the log and smiled.

This time, Stephanie straight-out ran out of the grove. She looked back for a split second, where she saw the Grass Quill Pokemon sitting pretty of the mossy log still. She slowed down a bit. Rowlet wasn't following her, so she didn't need to run fast to help it lose track of her. Stephanie kept her brisk pace up as she passed a beige and green feather that looked quite sharp. She had heard that a Rowlet's feather could land many feet away from the Pokemon, so she told herself that she was almost out of the forest.

It was daybreak when Stephanie finally emerged from the woodlands. She shook her head to loosen any leaves in her blue hair, then took a glance at her watch. The time seemed too early to wake up, so she still had some time before Allen and Cindy woke up. She bent down for a second to relace her boots.

And a familiar shift of weight on her shoulders happened while she did so.

"Oh for the love of Arceus... you're back, aren't you, Rowlet?"

Like any other time she talked to the Grass Quill Pokemon, it cooed sweetly at her.

Stephanie stood up and facepalmed. "You know what? You're the most stubborn Rowlet I've ever met!" she exclaimed. Right after, she backed up and put a thoughtful hand to her chin. "Well, come to think of it, you're the only Rowlet I've met." She removed her hand from her face to pick Rowlet up instead. "But you're probably the most annoying I'll meet!"

Rowlet cooed adorably and flew out of her hands. It flew to her pack, which it landed on and unzipped. After a bit of rummaging around, Rowlet presented a marble-sized ball to her.

The girl took the item and examined it. "It's the Pokeball Cindy gave me."

The Grass Quill Pokemon nodded and landed on the ground in front of her. It then stood statue still.

"Wait..." She looked at the capsule device, then Rowlet. "I think you're trying to tell me something... are you trying to tell me you'd like to join me on my adventure?"

Rowlet hopped up and down while chirping like crazy.

Stephanie laughed and bent down while touching the expanded Pokeball to Rowlet's forehead. "Then why didn't you say so before?" The ball shaked in her hands until it settled, which was quite quickly. "If you would've told me before, we wouldn't have had to go through so much trouble!" She clipped the Pokeball onto her belt and walked away from the forest with her new teammate in tow.

* * *

Meanwhile, a rustling in the bushes scared away all wild Pokemon within the area. In the forest, a crouched down girl held a device to her ear. Her auburn hair flowed past her shoulders and reached out to touch the grass.

"Yes... I know, I know..." She stopped. "Wait, what did he say? ...and Big Sis, too?" A devilish grin formed on the girl's face. "Uhuh. And we're gonna make our comeback somethin' to remember. Alola's seen an absence of us for a few years, so let's show 'em what we've been workin' on. Mhmm. Bye."

 _Click!_

The girl stood up and grinned while dusting a leaf off of her sleeve. "Well, this is unexpected... but I'll assure my peers, and all of Alola... they'll remember us for more than being misfit goons. And they'll definitely remember the name of Team Skull's Yareta."

* * *

Stephanie walked along the dirt path for a while longer until she saw some familiar faces. She smiled, then ran up to them. "Cindy! Allen! I'm back!"

Cindy turned her head and quirked an eyebrow. "Back? What do you mean you're back?"

"I don't recall you telling me you'd be going somewhere," Allen added.

The smaller girl swatted a hand to the two. "Never mind. I just took a little walk. And all I can tell you... I think people have the right to describe me as a night Rowlet." She took the Pokeball off of her belt and threw it upwards. "And I even met another night Rowlet friend."

Allen and Cindy both watched as the Rowlet Stephanie owned flipped through the air and landed on her shoulder. Even Litten seemed amazed by the Grass Quill Pokemon's presence. While on her shoulder, Rowlet bowed down like it was being heeded for the performance.

Allen adjusted his glasses and rolled his eyes. "Oh, I get it now. Night Rowlet... this is literally a Rowlet..." He strode up to her and punched her shoulder lightly. "Good one."

Cindy slipped her bag around her shoulders. "Okay, so we can stay here and make bad jokes or we can actually go to Iki Town. Your choice."

The boy picked up their Rockruff friend and nodded. "I think we should start on the path to Iki Town, because Rockruff really needs its help."

"Agreed," Stephanie chimed in.

With Rowlet back in its Pokeball, the three teenagers located the path again and started back on the trail to Iki Town. Every once in a while, Stephanie would take the capsule device into hand and examine it with a smile. Despite not knowing what she wanted to pursue on a Pokemon journey, having Rowlet with her would make things even more enjoyable.

* * *

 _It seems birds of a feather flock together, and that holds true for Stephanie and Rowlet! After a forest scare, Stephanie met another night Rowlet- quite literally! But when Rowlet kept following Stephanie and even followed her out of the forest, it seems the friendship they forged in the forest was not in vain, now that Rowlet is part of Stephanie's Pokemon journey! With Rowlet's showy personality, could the Grass Quill Pokemon help Stephanie realize what she wants to truly do on her journey? The answer is near as the journey continues!_

* * *

A/N: Happy early holidays! Despite the Christmas hastle, here's the present of chapter 9 on time! Not much to say this time, but can you believe we only have one more chapter of 2016? I sure hope you enjoyed and are looking forward to more, so until next time, and have a great Christmas/Hanukkah/whatever you celebrate!


	10. An Island Sized Celebration!

Pokemon Delta Sun and Theta Moon

Written by SkittleBoxx

Episode 10: An Island Sized Celebration!

* * *

Another day, another step closer to Iki Town.

After the camp was packed up an everyone was sure that they had everything in tow, the trio of teenagers set off on the dirt path once again. Based on Cindy's constant PokeTab checking (and Stephanie seeming to replicate her by checking a GPS-style function on her PokeNav, the AreaNav), they were fast approaching Iki Town. Allen had stated that to trek to Iki Town wasn't as far as when he and Cindy made their ways to Hou'omaka Town, so it wouldn't take at least two days to get to the next settlement. He had actually settled on the conclusion that they would reach Iki Town at about sundown.

With that in mind, they picked up the pace. Allen especially, due to the fact that he had taken up the role of watching over the injured Rockruff they had found and was on a mission to help it. Every once in a while he would look at the wild Pokemon he was carrying. Most the time, Rockruff was content in Allen's arms and didn't move. Sometimes, if Cindy were ahead of Allen, the Puppy Pokemon would catch sight of the Fire Cat Pokemon and all Distortion would break loose with Rockruff barking and trying to break free of Allen's arms. To prevent any issue like that again (and to minimize the number of scratches the boy was getting from the Pokemon's rock collar), Cindy had to walk behind Allen, and of course Stephanie followed her.

Cindy had noticed that about Stephanie. Whenever she would check her PokeTab, Stephanie would check her PokeNav. Whenever she would look to Litten and rub its head or scratch its neck, (when Rowlet was out of its Pokeball) Stephanie would give the same affection to Rowlet. When she moved behind Allen to prevent another Rockruff VS Litten crisis, Stephanie followed her. It was like Stephanie was deliberately mirroring the older girl for some reason. Not that Cindy minded, but she was becoming increasingly aware that if Stephanie had the tools (or Pokemon) that she had, there would be a good chance that the smaller girl would try to replicate her.

Was she perhaps being idolized by Stephanie?

Whether if she was or not, that didn't change the fact that Iki Town was coming closer and closer into view. If she were to look really hard, she could perhaps see the roofs of the small houses that resided in Iki Town. And sure enough, she caught a glimpse of the small town. It was only when the group looked off the top of the hill that it became official, taking in the view of Iki Town before them: they were here. They had reached Iki Town.

* * *

Compared to Celestiluna City or Hou'omaka Town, Iki Town was considerably smaller. When Cindy had noticed that aloud to herself, Allen backed her up on that notion. Celestiluna City was... well, a city. A big city at that. Iki Town was a little town, and even the infrequently used Alolan language proved it, with the two Alolan natives saying that 'iki' in Alolan meant 'small'.

Despite the town being a bit on the small side, there were many houses that signified a large, tight-knit community. As the sun painted everything exposed to it with golden rays, there were many people outside that looked like the time of day was the least of their concern. In fact, if the trio of teenagers listened carefully, the melody of cheerful and jubilant music would flow into their ears. If anything, it sounded like the town was gathering and celebrating something.

While still listening to the festive music in the background and the happy chatter of the townspeople, the three located the Pokemon Center and stepped inside. The layout was almost the exact same as the Hou'omaka Town Pokemon Center, with the areas to relax on either side of the circular pink counter. However, unlike the previous Center they had visited, the one thing that was different was the absence of people watching the TV or sharing a chat at the cafe. In fact, the Nurse Jay seemed to be out and about.

Allen, with Rockruff in his arms, set one on the counter and huffed quietly. "...even the Nurse Joy is gone. How big is this celebration?"

"I'm not even sure," Cindy added on, "but it seems the whole entirety of Iki Town is outside and chatting and celebrating. What's going on, anyway? Is what's happening really big enough to turn presumably every building into an abandoned home or something?"

Stephanie finally joined her two friends and looked up like she were recalling something. "I remember seeing this on Alola News Now, Alola's most popular newscasting station. I remember that towns on the various islands come together every year and celebrate together. They celebrate by coming together as a community to honor the Guardian Deity of each island."

"So it just so happens that we walked in on the festival." Allen readjusted his position to reduce the strain of holding Rockruff. "So _that's_ why everyone is celebrating!"

Cindy cocked an eyebrow, then sat down on one of the Pokemon Center's couches. She took her PokeTab out and mindlessly tapped on the screen while Litten watched. "Um... what's a Guardian Deity?"

The boy of the group sat down next to his clueless friend and offered a friendly smile of his. "I do remember telling you once when we first met, but I'll give you a better rundown." He cleared his throat. "So, Alola's made up of four islands. Each island has a Guardian Deity. Now, Guardian Deities are said to protect the island if something bad happens and they play an important part with our League system. The Deity of each island picks out the Island Kahuna that Trainers face." He nudged his glasses as his eyes filled with little stars. "Isn't that awesome?! Maybe if I don't become Champion, a Guardian Deity will pick me to be an Island Kahuna! Imagine all the amazing battles I could be a part of!"

The Rockruff in Allen's arms barked and licked his hand.

Before the conversation could progress any further, a pink-haired woman in a pixie cut and tropical clothing walked through the Pokemon Center door. She looked to the three, then smiled. "Oh, welcome to the Pokemon Center! Sorry for my absence, I was just outside enjoying the festival! Are you gonna go outside and celebrate later?"

"Yep," Allen affirmed. "But before we do, could you get us a room and help this Rockruff? I think it hurt its paw."

Nurse Joy walked up to the forest green-haired boy and took the Puppy Pokemon from his arms. "Sure thing! Before I help your Rockruff, I'll set your key card on the desk for you guys!" She rounded behind the desk and used a hand to reach down and grab a plastic card from beneath the counter. She slid it to the very front, then smiled. "Oh, and you guys better hurry. The Melemele Kahuna is in the middle of a battle!" Without any more, she walked further back and entered the healing room.

Allen ran up to the desk and slipped the key card into his jacket pocket before he grabbed a hand from each girl. "Does she really mean it?! The Kahuna's battling!" He started sprinting forward with the two girls in tow. "C'mon, this is huge! I can learn so much from this battle and then I'll become Alola Champion!"

Cindy managed to wriggle her hand free from Allen's grip. "Um, do you think I could stay at the Pokemon Center? I'd like to get all of our stuff in our room and make sure that when Rockruff is ready, I'll be here to pick it up." She rubbed the back of her neck. "Plus, I'm not really that interested in seeing the Kahuna. I'd rather sit here and think about what I'm gonna do for my contest appeal."

"That's totally fine. Just make sure to hold my bag for me and put it in our room." Allen shrugged his green backpack off and presented it to his friend, along with the plastic key to their room. He then turned to the smaller girl. "Stephanie, I'm assuming you're keeping that pack on?"

A nod from Stephanie was the answer.

The boy adjusted his glasses and grabbed Stephanie's hand. "Alright, we'll be off! See ya later, Cindy!" With that, Allen turned around and started sprinting towards the door with Stephanie in tow.

* * *

Outside, the sky was still ablaze with the hues of the setting sun and the faint rays of light were still able to pleasantly warm a back. As they ran, they realized how tight the Iki Town citizens really were. When they ran past a small town square with a polished statue of a Pokemon with shields for arms and an extravagant pluma of something on its head, they stopped for a second to look at the small plaque that adorned the pedestal. It read 'Melemele Guardian Deity: Tapu Koko'. There were many townspeople around the statue, and most were sitting on wooden benches around the area and snapping pictures.

They eventually moved on and started back on the quest to find the Island Kahuna. That led the two up a gentle hill, and already they could hear the sounds of a fierce battle. A flight of stairs built into the hill helped them climb upwards, and even the stairs seemed old as they were made of stone. It was surprising that most of the steps hadn't chipped away or eroded with time.

At the top of the stairs, the ground leveled out. They started weaving their way through the thick crowd of people, which felt almost impossible due to the sheer amount of people there were watching a Pokemon battle. Somehow, the two smaller spectators wedged their way to the front, right up against the strong stone battlefield that was designed more like a stage than a flat battlefield.

Some would call it 'just my luck', and that moment was relevant as when they set their eager eyes on the battle, the referee on the side of the field called the match. He was holding a red flag towards a tanned older man with a potbelly and cozy yellow jacket. The challenger across the field didn't seem disappointed, but he wan't the happiest camper in the world. He held up his Pokeball and returned his fainted partner as he walked up to the victor and shook hands with him. Once that was done, the thick crowd of people thinned out, most of them heading back to the main celebration.

Allen wasn't one of those people. Instead, he threw a leg over the stone battlefield and hauled himself up. He bent down and offered a hand, and then pulled Stephanie up with him. She was rather light, so it wasn't that hard to help her. The boy adjusted his glasses for a brief second before approaching the man. "Hey. Are you the Kahuna?"

The older man turned around and looked down at Allen. He grinned a wide grin and laughed. "You have that right! In case you didn't know, I'm Hala, the Kahuna of Melemele Island!"

"Wow, the actual Kahuna!" Allen bounced up and down a bit as he tried to control his excitement. "I'm talking to the actual Island Kahuna!" He turned to Stephanie and pointed at Hala. "The actually real Island Kahuna! This is an honor!"

Stephanie raised an eyebrow and bit her lower lip. "You seem excited..."

Hala gave another hearty laugh. "And how! Are you perhaps on the Alola League challenge?"

"Yep!" the overexcited boy responded. "Do you think I can battle you? I really want to become Champion, and in order to do that I need your Charm Piece!"

The Kahuna waited for Allen to settle down again before he responded, "so, you're on the quest to become Champion. How many Charm Pieces do you have?"

Allen never stopped smiling. "Absolutely zero!"

"You sound proud of that..." Stephanie mused from beside Allen.

Hala crossed his arms and shook his head. "Well, I'm gonna say, that's a no-can-do. There's a reason Tapu Koko chose me as the Island Kahuna, and that proves that I'm a pretty experienced Trainer. I don't like to hold back on my battles, so maybe when you come back with a Charm Piece and when you're a more experience Pokemon Trainer, I'll accept your offer."

The young boy settled down again and nodded. "I understand. So..." He clasped his hands together and leaned in closer to Hala. "Where can I get my first Charm Piece so I can battle you?"

"Ah, I wish my grandson could tell you," Hala responded, "but he's also out on his adventure! But since he's not here, I guess Old Man Hala's gotta tell you." He looked off into the distance and pointed somewhere towards a mountainous backdrop for the setting sun. "You gotta head southwest of Iki Town and take that path ahead of you. There, you'll find the city that holds your first Charm Piece, Hau'oli City."

Stephanie grinned a bit. "That's exactly where we're headed for Cindy's contest as well."

Hala set his eyes on Stephanie. "Oh? Since you bring up contest, are you a Pokemon Coordinator?"

"No, sir. I'm just travelling with good friends." She dug a boot into the stone. "I... I'm not sure what me and my Pokemon want to accomplish together. I'm still trying to figure that out." On cue, Rowlet peeked over her shoulder. "I guess Rowlet will guide me."

The Kahuna nodded. "So I see that you're relying on the bonds between you and your Pokemon to lead you to your destiny." He laughed. "Ho ho! Now that's what I like to see with a Trainer and Pokemon! And let me tell you, girl... you look like you can take on the League challenge with that kind of attitude and mindset."

The only girl's face rapidly went red. "N-no, sir. There's no w-way a weak Trainer like me can take on a League challenge. I don't even know if I should be calling myself a Trainer... I haven't even had a Pokemon battle yet."

"And that's what your friends are for. If you're ever confused and your Pokemon is as well, they want the best for you. They'll be able to guide you in a pinch." The old man looked at the thinning crowd as he adjusted a sparkling something on his wrist. "So, you two gonna enjoy the festivities? We only hold this once a year to celebrate Tapu Koko."

A cry from the sky caught everyone's attention, and in the darkening air was a streak of orange-yellow light. The cry resounded across the town again, then total silence from the streak and everyone in Iki Town.

Stephanie stepped forward and put her hands on her hips. "I've read about this phenomenon." She turned to Hala. "That was Tapu Koko itself. Legend has it that the Guardian Deities recognize the festivals held for them and thank the townspeople for thanking it." She held her hand up in a vain attempt to catch a falling sparkle or two. "Tapu Koko just came by to thank you guys for the festival."

"And right you are, girl!" Hala turned to the townspeople and raised a fist. "Tapu Koko approves and thanks us! Another festival, another success!"

Right on cue, everyone in the area burst into excited cheers and the music from afar started up again. Allen shuffled towards his friend and adjusted his silver frames. "How do you know this?"

Stephanie shrugged with a slight smirk. "Let's just say... when you aren't allowed on a Pokemon journey, you tend to imagine yourself in one and that prompts you to research all about Pokemon to make your dreams as accurate as possible."

"Wow, so you must know tons about Pokemon!" He turned to Hala and gave a subtle nod. "Thanks for the directions on where to get my Charm Piece! I promise, when I get my first Piece, I'll come back here and show you a battle you won't forget!"

Hala laughed a bit. "I'll keep that in mind. Now... what's your name?"

"Allen. But you'll probably really remember the name when I become Alola Champion."

The Kahuna grinned. "Allen. What a ring the name has to it. So, if you're gonna go and celebrate, I guess we'll meet again on this battlefield, huh?"

Allen nodded and held a fist out. "You know it!" He turned to Stephanie and grabbed her hand again. "C'mon, it's getting dark out, and we should be meeting Cindy. I bet she's wondering where we are."

Stephanie gave a nod of agreement, but before they left, she looked at Hala and smiled. She turned back to Allen and carefully hopped down the stone platform that acted as the battlefield and descended down the steps that led back to their friend and the happy festival.

* * *

"Cindy! We're back!"

Outside the Pokemon Center, Cindy turned her head to face the voices that had requested her attention. When she saw a forest green-haired boy and a blue-haired girl, she smiled and held a hand above her head and waved. "Hey, guys! C'mere, you're not gonna believe it! Rockruff's all better now!"

The two that went on their own little journey slowed down and sure enough, their Rockruff friend was sitting right next to Cindy, happily wagging its tail.

Allen bent down next to the Rockruff and picked it up. "Hey, buddy! Glad you're all better!" He noted the white bandage and held that paw up. "I bet you're happy that you can finally run around again, and I bet that you'll be even happier to go back to your family again!"

The wild Puppy Pokemon's face changed from happiness to seemingly defeat, and its tail stopped wildly thrashing around. It quietly whined.

"...is there something wrong? You don't look that happy anymore."

Cindy bent down next to Allen. "If you ask me, once you said that it could finally go home, it suddenly lost its happiness." She looked up and placed a hand on her chin. "Does that mean that Rockruff doesn't want to go home?"

"Maybe it likes us too much to go home," Stephanie added. "But what can we do? I bet Rockruff will be very unhappy if we let it back into the wild..."

Just before the desperation could continue, the Pokeball clipped to Allen's belt broke open, and in front of him was his own Rockruff. Before addressing its Trainer, Rockruff looked to the other one and started a little conversation.

"What are they doing?" Cindy asked herself.

The wild Puppy Pokemon approached Allen and nudged the Pokeball towards him, while his own Rockruff took a step back.

Stephanie looked at the situation for a moment, then gasped. "Allen, I know what they want!" She pointed to each one. "Your Rockruff wants to return to the wild, while the wild one wants to join you! They want to switch places!"

Allen grabbed Rockruff's Pokeball and cocked an eyebrow. "Switch places?" He focused his attention to the Rockruff he owned. "Is that what you want to do? You want to return to the wild?"

For once, his Rockruff came up to him and licked his hand. It stepped back, then barked.

"...if you say so." Allen slowly got up and set the Pokeball on the ground. He hovered his foot over Rockruff's Pokeball, then brought it down. In seconds, the capsule device became nothing more than millions of little pieces scattered around the area. He bent down and picked up a piece, the button in the center, and twiddled with it in his hands as he looked at his now wild Rockruff. "There you go." He put the piece in his pocket as he smiled. "If you're leaving now, at least cheer for me when I get to the Victressend Conference!"

Rockruff gave a small nod, then turned around and ran back and away from Iki Town. While it ran, it did turn its head back for a split second, but then corrected itself and continued running.

With one Rockruff gone, the remaining one approached the boy and sat down. It rubbed against his legs and barked.

Allen bent down again and took a brand new Pokeball from his pocket. He pressed the button and expanded it to the size of about a baseball. "And now it's your turn."

Before Allen could press the Pokeball to Rockruff's head, Rockruff butted right into the device. Its form was changed to a white plasma, then the ball closed and started shaking around. It didn't take long for the shaking to settle and the blinking red light to dim down and eventually die off.

"So you got yourself a very excited teammate," Cindy commented, "so... is it time to go back inside? I'm getting a little tired, and I could really use a bed to sleep in tonight..."

The boy nodded. "Yep." He looked to the Pokeball he held and smiled at it. "We gotta prepare for tomorrow, which is one step closer to the Champion title." He stood up again and followed his female companions into the Pokemon Center, smiling all the while.

* * *

 _At last, our heroes have reached Iki Town! It turns out that they had walked in on a festival, and a very big one at that! When Allen and Stephanie decide to take a trip to watch the Melemele Island Kahuna battle, they end up having a chat with Hala! From that conversation, Allen learned that his first Charm Piece is waiting for him in Hau'oli City, the exact same city the trio was heading towards for Cindy's contest debut! Just before the day ended, a surprise with Allen's Rockruff and their wild Rockruff friend happened, with both Puppy Pokemon requesting they switch places! After a quick release and capture, and with a new eager teammate, the future seems brighter and one step closer as the journey continues!_

* * *

A/N: Hello, my fabulous readers! I'd like to wish everyone a happy New Year! Did it feel like 2016 flew by fast, or is it just me? Anyway, sure hope you enjoyed this chapter and make sure to stay tuned for more! I promise, the contest chapters are less than five chapters away, so if that's what you've been waiting for, stay tuned for those and many more exciting adventures in Alola!


	11. A Wild Yungoos Chase!

Pokemon Delta Sun and Theta Moon

Written by SkittleBoxx

Episode 11: A Wild Yungoos Chase!

* * *

Once again, it was a new day with the current enemy of Cindy rising in the sky.

In a Pokemon Center room, the bright sunlight rested on Cindy's delicately closed eyelids. She squinted her eyes to block out some of the burning light and turned over to her other side. She felt Litten reposition itself as well, and once Litten was comfy again, everything was still. The sun had no part in her life anymore, a cuddly and warm Pokemon asleep with her... the morning was a good one.

"Cindy, get up."

And of course, there was Allen, who woke up earlier than everyone else.

"Later... I'm still sleepy..."

She couldn't see (her eyes were closed. Why would she want to open them, anyway?), but she heard Allen facepalm. "Really? Even Stephanie's awake right now, and she's the last one to fall asleep out of us. She should really be the most tired, so no excuses for being tired."

Cindy waved a dismissive hand. "My life, my rules." She yawned for a few seconds. "My rules are that I sleep for as long as I need to-"

 _Thwhack!_

She quietly groaned to herself. "Arceus, not the pillows again..." She pushed all the blankets off of her form and threw her arms up while snapping her bright blue eyes open. "I'm awake, my goodness! Stop hitting me with pillows, Allen!"

Allen laughed and clicked his tongue. "That was Stephanie."

The girl still in her pajamas looked down from the top bunk she had called, and true to his words, Stephanie was holding a pillow.

"Allen said I should hit you with this pillow if you didn't get up. So don't blame me, blame Allen." The smaller girl shrugged, then set the feathery pillow back on the bed below Cindy's (the one Stephanie claimed for the night).

Cindy rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and climbed down the ladder. She went over to her bag resting against the bed's frame and collected her newly-cleaned clothing. She rounded into a smaller room and closed the door to change out of her pajamas and into her day clothes.

With Cindy gone, Stephanie turned her aquamarine eyes to Allen. "Um, what are our plans today? I'm assuming we're just gonna head southwest of Iki Town and work our way to Hau'oli City, right?"

"Yep." Allen adjusted his green jacket, which had short sleeves and golden hemming around the sleeves, collar, and bottom. "Since me and Cindy took the kinda long way to Hou'omaka Town and then Iki Town, the journey's paying off with a rather short journey to Hau'oli City. I've predicted that we might reach Hau'oli City by sunset today if nothing gets in our way."

Stephanie giggled a bit. "Wow, the rumor's true! Smart people _do_ wear glasses!"

Allen shook his head with a laugh of his own. "Not all smart people wear glasses, and not all people who wear glasses are smart. I think I'm an example of the latter, but..." He adjusted the topic of the conversation and smiled. "I've had time to observe how far we can get in a day, and the distance between Iki Town and Hau'oli City is the distance we usually cover in a day. It's kinda simple once you just start noticing these things."

The door burst open, and there was Cindy. She was twisting around and admiring herself, then she took her bright green scarf and gently wrapped the cool-colored silk around her neck. "Alrightly, all ready! So, I heard your from little chat that we're just heading to Hau'oli City?"

"That's our plan," Stephanie said. "Allen says that it'll take less than a full day, so we can sleep in beds again." She tilted her head down to better focus on the task of clipping her belt on. "Are we gonna stop at the Pokemon Center cafeteria to grab a bite to eat, or do you have us covered, Allen?"

The boy turned around to present his backpack. "I've got us covered. If we go to the cafeteria, that'll take up some time. I've got some snacks to hold us over, so we should be good."

Cindy gave an affirmative nod. "Alright, sounds like a plan to me!" She pulled out her tablet device and checked a webpage. "According to the official Pokemon Contest website, the Hau'oli Contest is in a few days. So even if something totally crazy happens along the way, I'm still on track for my contest debut and to win my first Ribbon for the Alola Grand Festival!"

"Okay, so we know the plan today." Allen tightened the straps of his backpack and gave a thumbs-up. "I think we're ready!"

With the trio in agreement of the daily plan, they left the Pokemon Center room and the key card on the table (a lesson from Allen's slip-up a few days ago. Somewhere, the Hou'omaka Town Pokemon Center was fretting over a missing key card currently in someone's backpack). Since they had gotten a room on the first floor this time, they didn't pass by the cafeteria (most Center cafeterias were on the second floor, but there were some exceptions), but the smell was everywhere and it was delicious. The three didn't take any time to stay and eat, however. With their plans already established, breakfast would take up some time that was being used to get to Hau'oli City before the sun set.

They left the Center, then started towards the dirt path that would point southwest on a compass. Once everyone did a quick check of what was with them and tying some loose shoes if necessary, they were ready. They set off without any excess words, all three of them striding towards the next city while the path stretched endlessly in front of them.

* * *

The sun was still high in the sky as three friends walked along a path. They climbed up and down gentle hills, sometimes stopping to admire the sights at the top of the hill. Sometimes, they would be overlooking just grass, but other times they would set their sights on a beautiful meadow of pastel-colored flowers with small and wild Pokemon playing with each other. It was just another reminder of the close relationship the Alola region had with nature and Pokemon.

While they walked, Allen had supplied the snacks he had promised. Being the most logical and the member that thought things through, he had plenty of supplies to hold the girls over. He didn't really mind being the person to carry the important things. The pack on Stephanie's belt looked like it could barely hold a small Pokemon like Litten (the only thing she really carried with her was her PokeNav charger) and Cindy reserved her bag for Litten sometimes. If Litten wasn't in the bag, she was always carrying her PokeTab and flat-out refused to shove crumbly and gooey food with that tablet.

Ignoring who carried items and who didn't, they were making progress. Based on Cindy's constant usage of her PokeTab's GPS function, they were a considerable way away from Iki Town. Just a few more hours walking on slightly sore feet, and the biggest city on Melemele Island was theirs to storm and explore. The Hau'oli Ribbon and the first of many Charm Pieces were waiting for them.

Sometime along the path, they would pass a house. It was very infrequent, and usually the people that owned the little houses on the side of the path were inside escaping the scorching Alolan heat. However, one house caught their attention. It was a smaller home, and a young boy was sitting on the front steps. Although his face wasn't that clear with all his inky blue hair draping over his eyes, all three Trainers could make out little blotches of red on his face. Stephanie had eventually deducted that this boy had been crying and looked pretty down on himself.

Allen decided to step off the path for a minute and approach the boy. The two girls followed him suit, so all three of them were right in front of the distraught young boy. "Hey, is there something wrong? You don't look that happy."

The boy looked up with a small gasp and shook his head. "N-no, nothing's wrong. Just... just sitting here."

"But people who are fine don't look like they've been crying," Cindy added. "If something's really bothering you, we can help you."

It took a few beats of silence, but the boy got up and dusted his short-sleeve blue shirt off. He was rather small and looked nowhere past nine years old. "Well, something happened... some thugs just came up to me and my Pokemon while we were playing and they just took it! They didn't even give me a second's notice, they just swooped in like a hungry Mandibuzz ready to attack its prey!" He cupped his hands and stuffed his face in those hands. "My prized Pokemon!"

The forest green-haired boy bit his lower lip, then put a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder. "Don't worry, we can help you find those thugs and return your Pokemon to you." He turned his head to face the girls. "Isn't that right, girls?"

Cindy snapped up from her PokeTab with concerned blue eyes. "But, Allen, the Hau'oli Contest-"

"We have time." He practically ignored his travelling companions and gave a friendly grin. "Yeah, we'll help you! Everyone deserves to keep having great moments with their Pokemon!"

The younger boy finally found his smile. "R-really? Thanks you!" He put one hand up, palm facing Allen, and moved it in a circular motion. "Alola! My name's Ray."

Allen walked back onto the dirt path, where Ray scuttled right next to him. Now back on the trail, they continued their journey forward as Allen pressed Ray on the people who had stolen his Pokemon.

"They were both girls, and they had flowers in their hair. One had a red and white flower, the other a green-ish flower. The one with the red flower hair really short purple hair, while the one with the green flower had long orange-brown hair. The one with the red flower also looked like she was crazy with a black top and shorts and shoes, and she had a scar under one of her eyes. The one with the green flower was in a grey long-sleeve coat that made her look smart, like Professor Kukui. She also had glasses on. They were travelling together." Ray finished his description with a sigh. "And right now, they have my Pokemon."

Stephanie turned her focus to Ray. "What Pokemon do you own?"

"It's a Pokemon called Yungoos. They're very common in Alola."

As soon as the Pokemon's name was stated, Cindy quirked a ginger eyebrow. "Yungoos? What's a Yungoos?"

Allen dug into his jacket pocket to take his green PokeDex out, but as soon as he flipped it open, he shook his head and sighed. "We haven't seen a Yungoos yet, so I can't show you the PokeDex picture. It's basically a Pokemon that was imported from another region to control the booming Rattata population in Alola. Good thing is, we have less Rattata. Bad thing is, we might have too many Yungoos now."

"Well, whatever a Yungoos is," the ginger-haired girl continued, "I sure hope we can find it, and quick. Nobody deserves to have their Pokemon taken." She turned her head up in thought. "But what's the problem in having too many Pokemon? I bet Yungoos look cute!"

"Oh, there's a problem, which is why we took this one 'ere. We're doin' ya guys a favor by gettin' rid of all the Yungoos," a raspy voice interrupted.

Everyone froze in their tracks, then started to research their surroundings. They were still on the path, and in front of them were a few trees that lead into a lightly shaded woodland area. No one was in sight, and there were no Pokemon either (if Pokemon could talk, anyway). The only thing that was surrounding the four was the air.

Ray scuffled closer to Allen and grabbed the bottom of his jacket. "A-Allen, where are those voices coming from? And why did they say that they knew where my Yungoos was?"

Before anyone could answer the question, a Pokemon wandered out from behind the trees in front of them. It was a slender Pokemon with bared teeth, and accents of yellow fur on the head and belly. When it set its beady eyes on Ray, it cried out. Cindy was mentally taking back whatever comment she had spilled before on 'I bet Yungoos look cute' if this was a Yungoos.

"'Ey, c'mere!" Right after the Pokemon came out, a young woman appeared from behind the same tree. The three teenagers and Ray observed her attire. Messy and short purple hair with a red and white flower stuck in it, and her general appearance caught the attention of the small blue-haired teen. The mysterious young woman bent down and scooped the Pokemon into her arms as she sent daggers towards the observers. "Whaddya lookin' at, ya punks?"

Stephanie gasped and strode one step forward. She involuntarily extended one arm to protect her friends as she shouted, "wait a minute, I know you guys! You're Team Bones! You're those fiends that tried to hurt my mother all those years ago and you're those thugs that have been appearing in the news for your heinous crimes of stealing other's Pokemon!" She gritted her teeth while literal fire blazed in her aquamarine eyes. "You terrible punks! You should be ashamed of your acts!"

The girl holding the Pokemon groaned while her red eyes twitched. "Ugh, for the last time, we _ain't_ Team Bones! We're Team _Skull!"_

Ray started tugging on the end of Allen's jacket like the world was ending right before his young eyes. He pointed a tiny finger towards the Pokemon. "That's my Yungoos! You have to save it!"

As Cindy punched herself mentally for the comment of how adorable a Yungoos would look (she really didn't think they were that cute anymore), she dug into her bag and fished out her PokeDex. She turned it on and aimed the camera at Yungoos while Litten observed.

 _Yungoos, the Loitering Pokemon. Yungoos is a Pokemon that was imported to Alola from a different region. This Pokemon is always hungry and will not hesitate to consume anything. It will wander and stalk its territory for food until it literally collapses on the spot from exhaustion._

From another tree just feet away from the annoyed Team Skull member, another girl's head popped up from behind the tree. "Um, are you messing things up again? Is there a battle going on, or can I come out now?"

The girl with the purple hair rolled her eyes. "Does it look like we're gettin' into a fight 'ere, Yareta?"

Trepidaciously, the other girl emerged from behind the study tree. In seconds, the others recognized this girl from Ray's description a while ago: long auburn hair with a five-petaled flower stuck into it, and wearing a lab coat in the region that one should never wear a lab coat. She had a pair of glasses that occasionally glinted the sunlight, and her name was apparently Yareta, not just from the other girl, but her name was stitched into the jacket. "Oh, that's a relief. But you should really be more careful, Amaryllis. You always seem to step right into danger and that always messes us up..."

Stephanie, who was still staring the girls down with a vengeance, narrowed her eyes even further. "Who the Distortion are you thugs?"

"Just your average, everyday girls on a mission to make Alola better." The purple-haired one, recently revealed as Amaryllis, smirked. "Makin' plans and enacting 'em to help our team and finish our cause."

"To show Alola what we're worth. Starting with us, the brains and brawn." She adjusted her glasses and threw an arm out, her grey coat flowing with the movement. "Team Skull's Yareta, the mastermind scientist of the team!"

Amaryllis jumped right next to her teammate and stood back-to-back with her. "And Team Skull's Amaryllis, the force and pain that'll make ya scream!"

Together, they held a hand and extended the other towards the four that were competing with them. "Alola's ours, so stand back!" Just when they finished their little motto, the Yungoos Amaryllis was previously holding scampered away and back to its Trainer. Yareta facepalmed while aiming a spiteful glare at her teammate.

"...can you get any more dense-headed? Now we have to rethink of a motto yet again, something that _doesn't_ involve cheesy rhymes and letting Pokemon get away while we pose dramtically," Yareta mumbled towards her less than bright teammate.

Stephanie lowered her arm and snickered. "I'm _so_ scared right now, you don't even know," she rebutted with a tone dripping with sarcasm. Her glare resumed as she reached to the Pokeball on her belt, swiftly pressed the button, and lobbed it into the open air. "Rowlet, take the field!"

Allen also dug into his pocket and threw his own Pokeball. "Rockruff, come on out!"

"Litten, the spotlight's on you!" Cindy finished as she extended her arm and let her partner rush over it and join Cindy's teammates' Pokemon.

Ray jumped and bounded up and down. "Oh, my turn!" He pointed out as well. "Yungoos, get ready!"

Yareta's face paled as she saw the Pokemon, so she cowered behind the same tree she had been hiding behind before the teenagers and their young guest came along. "Amaryllis, there's a battle going on! Do something, I don't have any Pokemon!"

Amaryllis stared the Pokemon down, then gulped. "Whaddya mean do somethin'?! There's no way I'm winnin' four to one!" She grasped her teammate's wrist as she dragged her away from the battle that technically hadn't started yet. She shot her daggers towards the four. "We're outta here, but we'll be back for ya! Don't take us lightly, ya punks! And don't think ya won your stupid 'battle'!" With that, the two sprinted far away into the setting sun, leaving a trail of dust in their wake.

Ray bent down and put his arms out to let his Pokemon jump into his embrace. "Oh, Yungoos, I thought I lost you forever! I'm so glad you're not hurt!" He looked to the teenagers, his eyes shimmering with tears. "Thank you so much, guys! I don't know if I would've ever seen Yungoos again without you!"

"We're always glad to help," Allen said with pride. "Say, you gonna take on the League challenge with Yungoos anytime soon?"

The young boy nodded. "Yep! Next year, when I turn ten, I'm gonna become just like you and become an awesome Pokemon Trainer!"

Allen, while still beaming, held a fisted hand down to Ray. The young boy laughed in return and connected his fisted hand with Allen's. After that was done, Ray made sure Yungoos was with him as he bid his final farewell and ran back down the path they came, right back to his little house on the road.

Cindy finally approached Allen and put a hand on her hip. "Wow, now that was a little crazy... and those girls were a little crazier..." She bent down to let the Fire Cat Pokemon perch back on her shoulder, and then she caught sight of Stephanie, who was still in an offensive pose and breathing very heavily. "Uh, Stephanie? Are you okay?"

The smaller girl suddenly snapped towards Cindy, her expression slowly softening and returning to a normal, content state. "...me? I'm fine."

"But back then... I've never seen you so... so angry before. What was up with that?" the ginger-haired girl asked.

Stephanie gradually unfisted her hands and sighed. "That was Team Skull. That was the group of thugs that hurt my mother. Those were the goons that scared my mother. So basically, they were indirectly responsible for that stupid ban my mother put on a Pokemon journey." She distracted herself by adjusting the position of her dark blue belt. "But we don't have time to focus on me right now." She turned her head back to face Cindy. "You've got a contest to practice for, so we better hurry. The sun's setting."

All the teens nodded, then started back on the trail ahead. It would seem that they were walking straight into the setting sun, but minutes later, the sun wasn't visible from the horizon. Instead, tall skyscrapers jutted out from the horizon instead, and the shade of the buildings came out to reach the travelers. After a hectic day, it was great and a sigh of relief to say that Hau'oli City was right in front on them.

* * *

 _Back on the trail again, Allen, Cindy, and Stephanie have set their sights on getting to Hau'oli City. But as they continue their trek there, a distraught young boy catches their attention. The little boy introduces himself as Ray, a boy who dreams of becoming a great Trainer with his Yungoos. Only problem is, his Yungoos has been stolen by a group of thugs! When our heroes help Ray look for his partner, the villains who had stolen Yungoos appear right before them! Introducing themselves as Yareta and Amaryllis, they're part of Team Skull, a group of thugs that inhabit the Alola region! However, it doesn't seem like their mission was successful, as Yungoos escapes! With the two members of Team Skull gone, Hau'oli City is just ahead! And with the Hau'oli Contest soon, there are bound to be even more surprises as the journ_ ey _continues!_

* * *

A/N: Hello, dear readers! Next part, fresh out of the oven! If you follow the AureliaShipping drabbles, you might be wondering why there was no update last week. Well, semester tests are here, so that's why I was super busy and couldn't update (expect that to update today or tomorrow). But luckily, I have several chapters of DSTM on backup, so don't worry about this story missing an update!

All in all, sure hope you enjoyed and stayed tuned for next part!


	12. The Contest Contemplation!

Pokemon Delta Sun and Theta Moon

Written by SkittleBoxx

Episode 12: The Contest Contemplation!

* * *

It was a bright and shiny new day in the Alola region, and everyone was out and about. Shopping, training Pokemon, or just hanging out with friends, it was a day to be doing something. And that held true for one girl hitting the battlefield that was located within the Hau'oli Pokemon Center's premises.

"Litten, use Ember!"

As Litten turned its head up and shot a ball of flames into the open air, two other teenagers on the side of the field simply watched. The smaller one looked to her friend and sighed. "How long has Cindy been at this?"

"Well, she wasn't in our room when I woke up," Allen answered, "and we always have to wake her up. So if she got up even before I did, she's been out here for hours now."

"Now use Scratch and tear through that Ember while never retracting your claws!"

Litten, while still keeping its eyes on the spinning fireball in the air, extended its claws out and pushed off its hind legs. In middair, the glowing claws raked through the Ember, but Litten's claws remained bright and long. Gravity triumphed over the Fire Cat Pokemon, so it fell back onto the field, but the claws and Litten's whole paw were ablaze with fire.

Cindy clasped her hands together and squealed. "Wow, nice work, Litten!" She turned to Allen and gave an exuberant grin. "Remember this, Allen? We've come to perfect that move combination we used while helping wear down your old Rockruff. I call it Flame Claw!"

Stephanie sprinted towards the Fire Cat Pokemon and bent down slightly. "So Litten's claws are on fire? What's the purpose of the combination?"

"That's what I was gonna explain." She examined the paw as she nodded to herself. "As you can see, not only does it provide a great appeal combination, Flame Claw is also a great offensive combo. When I was battling with a Pokemon, I had Litten use Flame Claw on a Pokemon, and it does massive damage!" As soon as she noted Litten's claws were retracted and it was licking itself, she picked her Pokemon up and squealed. "This is gonna become our claim to fame, starting today!"

Allen joined his two companions and snapped. "That's right! Today's your big day, the Hau'oli Contest's today!"

"Yep! And I gotta say, with your time and planning, that extra day I got yesterday of just training was worth it. And this is only our second day on the city, so I can practice even more after today's contest, and we gotta do everything here if you said that this city is so big and awesome!" She put a gentle hand on Litten's furry head. "I can't believe it... I'm gonna be able to do my very first contest today!"

The Coordinator felt a hand on her shoulder, and when she looked at who had done it, she was staring into the aquamarine eyes of Stephanie. "But aren't you nervous? I'm not even going on stage, and I'm nervous for you."

Cindy bit her lower lip for a second before resuming her peppy and confident grin. "I do have to admit, I'm a bit nervous right now, but all that nervousness can't even peek through how excited I am!"

"But... don't you need a Contest Pass?" she asked meekly.

A finger was placed on Stephanie's lips by Cindy. "Way ahead of you. And since my mother hasn't sent me anything along the lines of a contest dress..." Her face looked like it was building up excitement. She grabbed one of Stephanie's hands as she literally shouted, _"Shopping!"_

Stephanie quirked a blue eyebrow. "Shopping? Why are we going shopping? Why me? Shopping isn't really my thing-"

"Well, since we're both girls, we both know what true fashion looks like." She turned to Allen and laughed. "No offense, Al."

"Um... none taken."

Cindy resumed looking at Stephanie with that excited grin. "So we're heading straight to the Hau'oli Shopping Outlet if I knew where it was! They probably have pretty cool stores and they're probably selling cool dresses and stuff!"

A bead of sweat ran down Stephanie's face due to her friend's comment. "You sure sound like you know what you're doing..."

Allen motioned to Cindy's bag, where her PokeTab always was. "Cindy can always use her PokeTab to find her way around. And if that fails... somehow... it's a shopping outlet. You can't miss the sight of people walking and buying things." He strode back to the area connected to the Pokemon Center and sat down on a chair to kick back and relax. "If you two are leaving, then I'll see you on stage, Cindy. Stephanie, make sure to look for me in the audience, I'll try and get a front row seat for us."

"Alright," the smaller girl affirmed. She turned her attention back to Cindy and smiled. "So, are we heading off yet?"

Cindy gave a nod, her braid whipping around with the motion. "Yep! Allen, I'll see you in the audience later! Make sure to cheer extra loud for me!" With that, the two girls ran off the dirt battlefield the Center provided, then ran into and out of the Center to get to Hau'oli City's shopping district to start what she would call it, 'the greatest shopping adventure ever!'.

* * *

Due to them not fully exploring Hau'oli City (and Cindy not at all due to her contest practice), this was their first time in the biggest city on Melemele Island. Tall skyscrapers were living up to their name, and cars and people alike were moving about the city. Most the people had shopping bags clutched in their hands, while some were walking into stores to perhaps gain a bag to carry full of newly purchased merchandise. During the walk, Cindy kept her PokeTab out and looked at it half the time. The other half of the time was used by looking at everyone in the city's hub central and thinking about how many of them would be entering the contest and facing against her. The pit at the bottom of her gut started eating back at her, the one that signified nervousness. What if she failed miserably?

Despite feeling nervous sometimes, the two girls found the Hau'oli Shopping Mall. Well, it wasn't that hard to find, it was literally the biggest building in the area. People were cycling in and out of the building, and inside the building were shops and shops that signified a large shopping outlet. There was a whole food court where patrons of the shopping spree were taking a break with a sandwich or so, and if eating wasn't the preferred activity of choice, those that could wait were stepping into stores, walking out of them, and repeating the process.

Cindy and Stephanie were part of the latter group, but Cindy reassured that if they had time after they bought her contest outfit they could grab a bite to eat. They spotted an average clothing shop, and then they decided that Cindy's perfect outfit was in there. When they stepped in, articles of clothing greeted them. Shirts, pants, shoes, everything was there. However, the one thing Cindy wanted was somewhere else in the store: a dress.

The two continued their sprint to the other side of the store, where, as Cindy had guessed, dresses upon dresses lined the racks and shelves. Cindy immediately started her rummage through the racks, and she asked her smaller friend to help her. Most dresses she found were either way too tacky or way to subtle, which was a problem to the girl with the finicky sense of fashion. Just as she was about to give up and try another store, a poke in the shoulder got her to turn around.

When she turned around, she was perhaps looking at an angel that looked like her perfect contest dress.

The dress, like her shirt, was a nice red color that pleased the eye. The accents to the dress were in red's complimentary color, just like Cindy's bright green scarf tied loosely around her neck. The sash was the exact same green color, and so was the hemming on the bottom, collar, and short sleeves. The collar was a gentle v-neck, and at the tip of the collar, a heart was sewn on instead. To anyone, it was a dress. To Cindy, it was _her_ dress.

She took the outfit in her hands and laughed with a smile. "This... this is..." She clutched it close to her chest and spun around like a ballerina. "This is perfect! This is gonna be my perfect dress!" She stopped to face Stephanie. "Thanks for finding this for me! You must really know my tastes."

"Well, you seem to like red and green together. So I just figured that I should find you a dress that has red and green."

Cindy hugged the dress close again. "This is what I'm gonna wear for my contest debut!" She folded the dress up nicely while Stephanie went ahead of her to the cashier. While Stephanie was gone, Cindy made sure that her friend wasn't watching as she plucked a little extra something off a rack. She strategically consealed it under her dress as she told Stephanie to wait outside the store while she paid for the dress and something extra.

Once the apparel was purchased, Cindy skipped out of the store with a bag in hand, making her blend in with the rest of the mall. Upon a quiet request by Stephanie, Cindy pulled out her wallet once more and made sure that they had enough PokeDollars for the both of them to stop by a food shop and grab a quick bite to eat. After the two girls payed for a nice sandwich apparently from the Unova region, they made their way out of the mall and to their next destination: The Hau'oli City Contest Hall.

* * *

If the mall was crowded, the Contest Hall put the mall to shame with the number of people around the building. Shops and vendors were set up everywhere, and Coordinators were last-minute practicing to win the coveted Ribbon the venue was giving out to the victor. The building itself must've been packed to burst, the structure with the sleek lavender walls hosting many people coming in and out. On the gigantic TV monitor attached to the building was a three-dimensional model of a Ribbon with an gold clasp shaped like an oval and from the clasp extended two strips of orange fabric with white outlines.

With her bag in tow, Cindy rushed up with Stephanie's hand in her other and pointed to the giant building. "Look, there it is! The Hau'oli City Contest Hall!"

Stephanie wriggled her hand free of Cindy's grasp and offered a grin. "That's where you're gonna sign up, right?"

"Yep!" she affirmed. "C'mon, we can't wait!" She ran ahead of the smaller girl again with her arms up, much like she would do if she had no care in the world. After a bit of sprinting, Cindy turned around and swung her hand in towards herself. "What're you waiting for? C'mon!"

The blue-haired girl hastily nodded and scuffled after her friend. "Y-yes! Coming!" She tightened her high ponytail and joined her exuberant friend in running headlong for the Contest Hall.

When they entered the Contest Hall, the interior was flashy and the amount of people inside reminded them of the mall. However, the reception desk was relatively easy to find despite the slew of people signing up or finding their ways to the audience to reserve a seat as close to the stage as humanly possible. Cindy wasn't interested in watching the stars perform, she was here to become the performing star. Slowly, she made her way to the desk with Stephanie, and there the reception lady was.

"Hello, and welcome to the Hau'oli Contest Hall! How may I help you ladies today?" the lady asked.

Cindy set her arms on the desk like a true lady (not really). "I'm here to receive my Contest Pass and sign up for the contest!"

The receptionist nodded, then motioned to the slots built into the desk. "Sure thing! Just put your PokeDex in the slot, then you'll have your Contest Pass!"

As instructed, Cindy fished out her PokeDex and set it into the thin slot. A few beeps and noises from a screen above them, showing her picture and basic information about the next star in the making. When the machine was done telling perhaps the whole hall random and useless facts about her, it settled down and out came her PokeDex and a plastic card.

"That's your Contest Pass," the lady explained, "so now you can sign up for any contest in the Alola region for the entire year!" She looked to Stephanie and smiled. "Do you want to sign up and get your Contest Pass?"

Stephanie backed up and put her hands up. "N-no thank you." She turned to face Cindy. "I guess I'll see you in the audience-"

"Stephanie, I think you should try a contest."

There were a few beats of silence between the two girls, but Stephanie broke it with perhaps the shake of her head. "N-no. I d-don't even know what I want to do in Alola yet. I'm just tagging along with you-"

"Which is why I'm suggesting you do a contest," Cindy interrupted again. "I'm not saying you obligate yourself as a Coordinator, but I'm saying you should try a contest or two. Maybe Pokemon Contest is for you and Rowlet, maybe it's not. All I'm saying is that you should try as many things as you can with your Pokemon until you find what you want to do."

The smaller girl kept her head tilted down for a few moments, but then she angled her head back up and nodded with a rigid motion. "...I guess you're right." She strode up to the desk and held her PokeNav out. "I'd like to sign up for Pokemon Contest."

The lady took her wristwatch off gently and nodded. "Alrighty then! Since you can't put a PokeNav into that tiny slot, I'll fill out your info, of course, with your permission, and give you your Contest Pass!"

"Go on ahead," the girl allowed.

With Stephanie's PokeNav info up, the lady quickly typed up the information on her computer and clicked her mouse. Seconds later, in the other slot on the desk, another plastic card was produced. The lady swiveled back to the girls and set out a tray as well. "Now that both of you are signed up, I'd like to give you some starting gifts on behalf of the Pokemon Activities Committee! You each get a Pokemon Contest rulebook, Ball Capsules, and Seals!" She pushed the tray forward and bowed her head down. "Good luck in today's contest!"

Cindy took the whole tray and bowed her head down as well. "Thank you!" She turned to Stephanie. "So, should we get dressed and ready?"

Stephanie nodded, but then her face paled and drew back with worry. "Oh no! I don't have a contest outfit!" She hunched over and sighed. "That's not gonna look good at all..."

"Way ahead of ya." Cindy took the shopping bag she had brought with her and dug into it. Instead of her contest dress, she presented something else to her friend.

What was being presented was an outfit. First, she noted the presence of a white dress shirt and lavender-blue vest. Atop those articles of clothing was a light purple jacket that had an extended back potion, so the coat had some long coattails that flowed like a dress. Along with the clothing for her upper half, a pair of light purple dress pants and shined black shoes finished the ensemble off. She took the outfit into her arms and laughed quietly. "It's... it's beautiful... but why'd you get this? It's like you knew that you'd convince me into doing a contest..."

"That's just exactly why." She set an arm around the smaller girl. "Since you sounded so unsure on what you wanted to do when you first joined us, I just figured that you'd try as many things as possible with your Pokemon, and you have this kinda tomboy personality, so that explains the outfit, y'know?." She slung the shopping bag around her arm and picked the tray up again. "Now, I've seen all of these items in Sinnoh, where Alola presumably got its contest influence. Do you know what a Ball Capsule and Seal are?"

A shake of the head was her answer.

Cindy pulled out Litten's Pokeball (for contest purposes, Litten had been chilling in its Pokeball for the day), then she opened the semi-transparent blue capsule and showed the interior to Stephanie. "Okay, you take your Pokeball and set it into the Ball Capsule." She closed the covering and stuck a Seal on, just like a sticker. "You then put the Seal on the Ball Capsule, and you send it out!" She put the prepared ball in her bag. "I'll let you see it in action when we're doing our contest. Right now, we should get backstage and get our contest attire on."

Stephanie gave a simple nod, which prompted the two to walk through the door that led them through the hallways and into the green rooms and main backstage room. They both picked a separate room across the hall with their contest outfit in hand. It wasn't long before they opened the doors and stepped out of the rooms, both admiring themselves and their new attire. While Cindy was wearing her red and green dress that flowed until her knees, Stephanie was adjusting the little indigo bowtie secured on the collar.

Now in the proper clothing, the two girls went to the main backstage room to wait for the contest to start. While Stephanie fiddled with the Ball Capsule and debated what Seals did what, Cindy couldn't help but think to herself: how many people were watching? How would Allen react seeing Stephanie onstage? Would she even win the Hau'oli Contest? But one thing she knew for sure: there was no playing around anymore. There was no more dreaming. This was the Hau'oli Contest. She was in the Hau'oli Contest.

And like that, the music changed to a tune she recognized from countless reruns on TV: the Pokemon Contest theme song that played whenever contests went on air.

The contest was starting.

* * *

 _Today's the day Cindy's been waiting for since moving to Alola, the Hau'oli Contest! After going on a shopping trip with Stephanie, Cindy has finished her contest checklist and then makes plans to sign up with a Contest Pass. After she got her pass, she noted that Stephanie had just been standing around. In order to help Stephanie perhaps realize her ambition on her journey, she suggested that Stephanie should try the contest as well to see if contest is her calling! With both girls backstage and ready for a spectacular show, the first contest of Cindy's Coordinator career is starting as the journey continues!_

* * *

A/N: Hi again! Sorry to leave you on a cliffhanger (is this a cliffhanger?), but as I promised, the contest chapters! Not much to say this week, sure hope you enjoyed and make sure to stay tuned for more, the fun of the Hau'oli Contest is just beginning!


	13. The Appeal's the Deal!

Pokemon Delta Sun and Theta Moon

Written by SkittleBoxx

Episode 13: The Appeal's the Deal!

* * *

At last, the Hau'oli Contest was starting, and one specific Cindy couldn't become any more excited.

Everyone backstage had stopped whatever they were doing beforehand, whether that was trying to figure out how a Seal worked or trying to choose the perfect Pokemon for the job. Instead of doing whatever, everyone had turned their attention to the television where the contest was on air.

On stage, two spotlights were lit onto a woman with frizzy orange hair and microphone. She held the mic up to her face and held one arm out. "It's time, and everyone's overflowing with excitement! That can only mean one thing..." The lights in the whole arena turned on and illuminated everything inside. "It's contest time!"

The whole audience burst into cheers and excitement, and a certain forest green-haired boy in the front row was no exception. He turned his head to his right, where he was expecting someone to be seated next to him. Where was Stephanie?

"We're coming to you live from the city overflowing with gentle joy, Hau'oli City!" the announcer continued. "Like any other contest, the winner of this contest will receive the grand prize, the prestigious Hau'oli Ribbon!" She dug into her pocket and held up a little something in a hand, which was reflecting the stage lights. The item had a golden clasp with a little crown on the top in the shape of an oval, and from the clasp ran two strips of fabric that were orange with white borders. "With this, the winner will be one step closer to collecting their five Ribbons needed for the Alola Grand Festival!"

Backstage, Cindy kept her determined blue eyes on the Ribbon and smirked. "That's my Ribbon..." She stood up and strode towards the door, knowing that she was first to take the stage and show what she was capable was. She walked towards the curtain and stood behind it as she continued to listen to the ceremonies going on on the other side of the blue fabric. She clutched her Pokeball tighter as the feelings of nervousness came back, but she dispelled them somewhat with a deep, calming breath.

The announcer moved over to the side of the stage, where a panel of three people were seated. They all waved to the TV camera that had panned towards them as the woman put a hand out to direct attention towards the first man. "And let's meet our judges! First up is the head of the Pokemon Activities Committee, Mr. Contesta!"

The older man bowed his head down and adjusted his red suit. "Thank you! I just can't wait to jump into the contest and see all these displays of talent put on by our Coordinators today!"

"And next," the woman continued, "the head of the Pokemon Fan Club, Mr. Sukizo!"

Next to Contesta, the shorter man never ceased smiling. "Hau'oli City is remarkable!"

"And finally, Hau'oli City's very own Nurse Joy!"

The nurse with the blue-purple cross on her hat bowed her head down. "Thank you. I bet I'm as excited as you are to see what our participants have in store. I wish everyone good luck."

Once all the judges were done speaking, the woman ran out to the other side of the field and then pointed to herself. "Oh, I almost forget to introduce myself! I'm the Alola region's master of ceremonies and announcer of this contest and many more, Adrian!" She swung her hand to divert everyone's attention from whatever was on their minds beforehand to the curtain, which was rising. "And our first contestant, Cindy from Celestiluna City! You're on!"

Cindy felt a bead of sweat run down the back of her neck, but she pushed through the panic and ran out onstage with Litten's Pokeball in hand. "Alrightly!" She spun around like a ballerina a few times as she released grip of the capsule device. She stopped rotating around to clearly shout, "Litten, the spotlight's on you!"

The Pokeball traveled through the air for a second before popping open. Instead of a ray of white plasma, the energy that came from the ball was a mass of flames that sparkled. The flames churned and swirled around for a second before the shape of the Fire Cat Pokemon was visible. With another pop and burst of fire, Litten was clear to the judges and the spectators. Gravity brought it down, then it landed on all four paws and put on its best face of determination.

"That's how a Seal works, Steph," she inaudibly whispered. She couldn't fight back an adrenaline forced smile as she swung her arm out to the stage. "Here we go! Litten, hold an Ember in your mouth and use Growl to fire it up!"

Litten meowed in understanding, then ran forward with flames and embers spilling out of its mouth. When it approached center stage, it angled its head up and growled while finally firing the fireball. Because of the added Growl, rings of fire dispersed away from Litten's mouth and body while the fireball itself shot high into the open air with Cheri Berry red sparkles dragging behind it.

Adrian swung her hand out to get everyone's attention on the fireball. "Wow! With Litten's Growl attack, that Ember went sky high!"

Cindy rapidly bobbed up and down as she squealed, "yes! It worked!" She put her hand up and broadly beamed. "Now here it comes! Use Scratch and get a Flame Claw up! And make sure to look good while doing so with a twist and a spin!" To demonstrate, Cindy spun around once, her red and green dress dancing with her.

Litten eyed the fireball with its mostly unfeeling yellow eyes, then sprung into action quite literally. While spinning around like a confused Baltoy, Litten extended its white-glowing claws and approached the Ember. It raked the Ember into nothing but fading sparks and flames, and along with those flames a burst of lights and sparkles. It was almost like Litten was glowing as bright as the sun outside.

"And what a show!" Adrian exclaimed while the small flecks of glitter fell around her and into the audience. "It's like it's impossible to look away from Litten's beautiful usage of moves!"

The Coordinator on stage was breaking into a full blown smile while heaving air in and out. She watched as Litten succumbed to the forces of gravity with its claws still out. When it landed, her smile only got wider as Litten's claws were fully ablaze and spread to the whole Pokemon. It wasn't just Litten's claws on fire: Litten _was_ on fire and practically sparkling.

"Now blaze it up for the grand finale!"

Litten, while still consumed by flames, hunched over and slammed its paws on the ground ahead of it. It resumed a normal stance as the flames grew brighter and created another bout of light. When the lights receded, a gentle rain of sparkles fell as Litten tipped its head down with a fur coat that shone with the lights that surrounded it. Cindy ran on stage next to Litten and bowed down with it.

In an instant, the crowd went wild. Allen stood up and clapped like the most excited person on earth just for his friend.

Adrian laughed for a second before announcing, "and what an appeal! Using Litten's glorious show of its old fur coat shedding while combining that with the light of the Scratch and Ember combination was stunning! Let's hear from our judges!"

Contesta was still clapping as the camera panned to him. He folded his hands back on the panel desk. "Truly marvelous! The beauty of a Fire Type Pokemon showing off well-trained moves is always a three out of three!"

Sukizo never stopped grinning. "Four out of three for remarkable!"

Nurse Joy cocked her head while smiling. "I thoroughly enjoyed that performance. You can tell that Cindy and Litten were having tons of fun together."

Cindy returned to a normal stance and took a shaky exhale. She had just done it: she had done her first appeal in her first Pokemon Contest. With Litten back on her shoulder, the girl nervously waved to everyone that was giving the gesture to her, and when she spotted Allen, she returned his thumbs-up gesture. Was this what it felt like to be the Contest Master or someone like him? Even if it didn't feel like what Cindy was experiencing, she was on cloud nine. After she heard the applause die down and fade away, she gripped the bottom of her dress and sprinted backstage as the next contestant entered.

* * *

Backstage, Cindy poked her head through the doorway minutes after returning backstage. She spotted many other Coordinators, but no familiar blue ponytail in a stylized suit. She entered the fairly large room and took a seat on one of the purple cushions. Perhaps Stephanie had moved to a green room to fix her appearance? Or maybe she Torchic'd out and left the contest entirely? Although the last option had a one in a million chance, she felt like that was a probable answer. Stephanie _was_ a little shy sometimes, so it wasn't impossible for her to do so.

But once she looked at the TV, she had her answer.

* * *

"And contestant number four, Stephanie from Hou'omaka Town! You're on!"

In the audience, Allen's jaw practically dropped to the floor. "Stephanie?! You mean, _our_ Stephanie?!" He adjusted his glasses with a dismissive laugh. "There's no way that Stephanie is doing a contest. She's shown absolutely no interest in Pokemon Contest-"

When the curtains opened, standing in the limelight was a smaller girl in a stance that had one foot on front of the other. She had a hand on her hip, the other hand dangling by her side and clutching a Pokeball. Her outfit's tiny but intriguing silver embroidering shone with the stage lights, and her face of determination was very familiar to Allen as he had seen it before when encountering Yareta and Amaryllis.

"...that's Stephanie," Allen finally managed to get out.

The girl onstage finally broke her pose and sped forward. She jumped up with one leg up as she shouted, "Rowlet, take the field- er, stage!"

In the air, the Pokeball spun like a top before breaking open. Joining the pop of plasma was a flurry of golden stars that joined to make the general shape of a Rowlet before they shot away and revealed the Grass Quill Pokemon.

Stephanie touched the silk fabric that made up her indigo bowtie, then motioned towards her Pokemon. "Alright, start us off with a Leafage attack!"

Rowlet flew up into the air above center stage, then its wings started glowing green. With those wings, it started spinning around and conjuring leaves of the same color to swirl around it. From the audience, it was like Rowlet had been sucked up into a tornado made of bright green leaves that left a faint trail of light.

"Now Steel Wing!"

Backstage, Cindy felt a smirk crawl onto her face. "So her Rowlet knows Steel Wing... interesting combinations can be used with that." Her smile faded and was replaced with worry. "But... she's totally taking on the stage like a battlefield... and not like a Pokemon Contest."

On stage, Rowlet's wings changed from glowing green to steel-grey. It flew into the slew of leaves it had conjured and used those wings to rip through the leaves and destroy them. What was left of the leaves was a gentle rain of sparkles in the same color that fell everywhere.

"Wow, what a way to show of Rowlet's Steel Wing! It's like Rowlet is glowing!" Adrian announced.

Stephanie extended a jacket-clad arm out for Rowlet to land on. "And here we go." She quickly threw her arm up, in turn throwing Rowlet back into flight. "Leafage, again!"

Once again, Rowlet's wings turned a bright green as it spun around and gathered that tornado of leaves. The leaves encircled the Grass Quill Pokemon again, almost to the point that it was impossible to see Rowlet.

"Now finish this off with a Peck attack!" the girl commanded.

Rowlet stopped spinning around and the glow faded from its wings. The beak of the Grass Quill Pokemon started to glow a blinding white as it flew headlong into the storm of leaves and used its beak to destroy the leaves. Like last time, the leaves broke down into vibrant green sparkles. Rowlet landed back on Stephanie's arm as she bowed down while the rain of glitter surrounded her.

The audience went wild again, and Adrian put the mic up to her face again. "And what a performance from Rowlet!" She turned to face the judges and then gave them their cue.

Contesta folded his aged hands onto the panel desk. "A stunning display of beauty. Although a little basic at its core, it was still enjoyable nonetheless."

Sukizo's grin never dissipated. "Rowlet and Stephanie were remarkable!"

Nurse Joy gigged and bowed her head down. "I really liked seeing how Stephanie and Rowlet interacted. I was having fun watching them have theirs."

Stephanie looked nervously into the crowd, where she caught the sight of a familiar mop of forest green hair. She only gave Allen a small wave as she darted back behind the curtains and offstage.

* * *

Backstage, Cindy had finally tore her gaze away from the TV as she watched Stephanie run back to the silk curtain. On the topic of silk in her mind, a young woman that looked her age in a way too puffy and ruffly pale pink dress walk in front of her. She looked like an actual princess.

She didn't pay her dress much mind, though. She simply held a hand up and waved. The girl in the pink dress just scoffed and continued on her way out of the main back room. Even as she felt the cushion shift due to Stephanie's weight, she payed no mind as she kept her gaze on that one girl.

 _'Yep,'_ Cindy drawled in her mind, _'also the attitude of a princess.'_

* * *

"And next," Adrian shouted, once again swinging her hand to the curtain, "contestant number seven, Heather from Hau'oli City! You're on!"

The girl in the pink dress elegantly flipped her bright blonde hair as she practically waltzed forward. She drew a Pokeball out from the tiny pink purse she toted along with her. Shortly after, she spun around (either to make a statement about her or her dress) and lobbed the device into the air. "Of course! Fomantis, my darling, shine for us!"

Along with the pop of plasma, a storm of hearts came out of the Pokeball. Every heart clumped together and formed one big heart before bursting and revealing a Pokemon. The Pokemon had a pink and green body and scythe-like arms that looked like foliage. It was tiny, but the determination on its face made it seem bigger than it was.

Backstage, Cindy pulled out her PokeDex and aimed it at the TV screen. "Who's that Pokemon?" She heard a beep.

 _Fomantis, the Sickle Grass Pokemon. It is a nocturnal Pokemon that sleeps during the day to collect energy from photosynthesis, which is how it evolves. When night falls, it finds a new place to rest during the day as it never stays in the same spot for two nights. Fomantis give off a scent that is described as refreshing and sweet._

Onstage, the girl known as Heather gave a laugh- what kind of laugh nobody knew. "Alright, let's start with a fine-tuned Energy Ball!"

Fomantis put its stubby arms forward and angled itself towards the ceiling. A green ball of nature's energy grew from between its arms, to which it fired straight upwards. Little green and teal sparkles followed the projectile all the way up.

"Now let's use Leafage!" Heather called.

The Sickle Grass Pokemon didn't even get an opportunity to put its arms down as it kept them up. They started to glow a vibrant green as leaves of the same color were produced, all heading for the Energy Ball that was starting to descend. Before it could hit the ground, the leaves from the Leafage attack started circling around it and therefore making it hover in midair. Another multitude of cool-colored sparkles emitted from the Leafage Ball combo, almost drowning the whole stage.

Adrian gripped her mic and laughed to herself. "And what a display! The Energy Ball is actually hovering due to the Leafage attack! Not only does that show off both moves, but the combination is glowing!"

Heather twirled a stand of her hair around her finger. "What would you expect from Alola's next Top Coordinator?" She thrust a hand forward. "Now get under the Leafage Ball combo and throw a Sunny Day up!"

Fomantis scuttled under the combination move, then surrounded its body with golden energy. It produced a bright orb of energy on each arm, to which it threw upwards at the combination. The two Sunny Day orbs met the combo move, where the Leafage Ball burst into a bright and flashy display of fireworks in various shades of the rainbow. Fomantis used a tiny arm to bow down, to which Heather curtsied along.

Like the fireworks, the crowd blew up into a frenzy of applause. Even Allen, who really had no idea how a Pokemon Contest worked, was clapping with the fierceness of a Tauros that saw a red cloth.

"And what a show! Who knew that you could produce fireworks from Grass Type moves? Let's hear it from our judges!"

Contesta gave a nod. "A striking show of moves! It's very clear that Heather and Fomantis have trained hard for this, and it all paid off. Marvelous!"

Sukizo's face remained like it had been for the whole contest. "That was remarkable!"

Nurse Joy didn't move, but her soft smile broke into one of joy. "That was fun to watch. I think we have some talent that will go far enough to see the Alola Grand Festival."

Heather ran onstage to let Fomantis hop into her purse, then slowly walked out to absorb as much as the applause she could. When she approached the curtain, she gave a small finger wave before completely disappearing behind the fabric.

* * *

Backstage, Cindy heard a familiar sound of high heels clipping and clopping across the floor. She grabbed the hemming of her dress as she stood up and ran towards the blonde-haired young woman. "Hey! I saw you on TV!" She stopped and let go of her dress. "Your name must be Heather?"

Heather didn't even turn her head to face Cindy. "And what about me?"

"Oh... y'know... just saw your appeal." She manually made Heather look at her by moving in front of her. "I think it was really cool! Do you think you could teach me how to do that? And how do you teach your Pokemon all those cool moves that they would need more experience to learn so early?"

"...you must be clueless," she spat back.

Cindy felt her smile waver, but she still held onto it. "Well, today was my first contest, so I'm still learning here and there." She eyed the puffy pink dress and then to the girl's bright pink irises. "So, where'd you get this dress? It looks really pricey... but I'm saying that in a good way!"

Heather pushed her aside. "Somewhere else than the dump that you got your excuse for a dress at." She finally voluntarily glared at the ginger-haired girl. "Listen, you're in my way. I'm here to be Alola's Top Coordinator, so back away from _my_ Ribbon!"

"Excuse me?!" Cindy felt her fuse blow, but she didn't care. This was for contest. " _I'm_ gonna become Top Coordinator, and you just can't insult the way I dress! My good friend picked this out for me and I like it!"

"Then tell your friend to get better tastes in fashion! And it's _my_ Ribbon! You're just a newbie at contest, so you can't win!"

"Oh yeah? Then what contests have you done before, Little Miss Perfect?"

"That doesn't matter!"

The two girls literally clashed heads with fists connected, blonde hair spilling over the shoulder and warring with ginger hair. Before they could continued their clash, everyone's chatter died down in return of hearing the TV.

Adrian was on the screen, and a large blank space was next to her. "After careful consideration, our judges have selected the eight lucky and talented Coordinators who will be moving on to our Contest Battle rounds! Congratulations!"

Next to Adrian, a graphic was pulled up of eight different faces. While Cindy swore she heard a defeated sigh from a familiar blue-haired friend, she literally gasped upon seeing her face smile at her shocked one. A familiar set of bright blue eyes on the screen stared back at her own, which were shining with excitement. Even the sight of Heather's face and the absence of Stephanie's didn't change the reality she was now living in.

She had made it.

She had passed the appeal round and was going to fight for the Hau'oli Ribbon.

She looked back at Stephanie, who was behind her. She had her clothes folded in her arms. Stephanie gave a smile despite her recent knock out, then mouthed some quiet words that she made out as 'I'll be cheering for you'. With no more, she left the room with seemingly not a trace of sadness painted on her face.

As she contained her excitement through the means of making really high-pitched squealing noises, she sat back down and then took a glance at Heather. Based on that attempted of a greeting and friendship, she was certain that a friendly and happy rivalry that she had seen in interviews with famous Coordinators wasn't happening here.

But it didn't matter to her. She and Litten were going to give their all again and fight for that Ribbon. Whether she faced Heather or not, whether they would become friends or not, it didn't matter right now. What mattered was the Hau'oli Ribbon.

 _Her_ Hau'oli Ribbon, she assured herself.

* * *

 _The Hau'oli City Contest has started! Using her fined-tuned Flame Claw combination, Cindy starts off the contest with a bang! After she receives high marks, it's Stephanie and Rowlet's turn to wow the crowd. Despite entering without any practice, Stephanie is able to put on a great show. But it's the next notable contestant that catches Cindy's eye, a rich and privileged young woman named Heather. After her appeal with Fomantis, it looks like Cindy's got some competition for the Hau'oli Ribbon! With Stephanie out and Cindy and Heather establishing a very quick and explosive rivalry, the fate of the Hau'oli Ribbon is in one girl's hands as the Hau'oli Contest and the journey continue!_

* * *

A/N: Hello, le fabulous readers! Here's a chapter for you to read! I don't have much to say right now, so I just hope you enjoyed and that you stay tuned for next week's episode!


	14. Birds of a Heather!

Pokemon Delta Sun and Theta Moon

Written by SkittleBoxx

Episode 14: Birds of a Heather!

* * *

It wasn't even three minutes after seeing that she had passed the appeal round did Cindy find a green room to herself in the expansive backstage area of the Contest Hall. As she was alone, she was given some peace and quiet to not so quietly celebrate and jump around the room like a Buneary on a sugar high. Even Litten, who was a Pokemon that didn't show its feelings that often, was joining its owner in the party for two.

But the Ribbon was still waiting. She had some battles to beat before that stepping stone to the Alola Grand Festival was added to her turbulent path.

Cindy bent down and held her arm down while leaning her shoulder toward the floor. "Are you ready, Litten?" She stood up as soon as she felt Litten perch back onto her shoulder. "You did great in the appeals, so I know that you'll do just as good in the battle rounds!" She approached the doorway and walked down the corridor as she continued, "now, Contest Battles are a little different from other battles. But I'm sure that you'll get the hang of it!"

Litten simply meowed quietly.

Now face to face with the curtain, she fisted a hand in determination. "Our first opponent is out there." She held up Litten's Pokeball and returned the Fire Cat Pokemon back into the device. She placed the Pokeball into a clear blue covering and pressed her Seal on. "Let's do this."

* * *

"And we've reached our final semifinal battle!" Adrian announced. "It's Heather VS Wilson, who will be moving onto the finals to face Cindy for the Hau'oli Ribbon? Five minutes on the clock... begin!"

In the audience, Allen adjusted his glasses and then crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Y'know, even watching Cindy battle twice in Contest Battles, I still don't get it."

Stephanie, who was back in her grey top and indigo miniskirt, took her contest rulebook out and cleared her throat. "It says here in the rulebook. According to this, a Contest Battle is a five minute battle where Coordinators face against each other while continuing to show off their Pokemon's style and skills." She read ahead further. "Every battle begins with each Coordinator receiving a fixed amount of points. The objective is to use moves to decrease your opponents points. Points are taken away when a Pokemon is hit by an attack, when a Pokemon's attack fails, when the opposition executes an appealing move or combination, or when the opposition uses the other side's move to their advantage."

"...that's really hard to remember."

The smaller girl shrugged her shoulders. "Just think of it as the more appealing, the better."

Allen shifted his forest green eyes around, then shrugged as well. Good thing _he_ wasn't on stage, he mentally told himself.

* * *

It was a few minutes after the last semifinal battle. Cindy, nose to the curtain she had become so familiar with. Litten's Pokeball in her hand. The Hau'oli Ribbon practically gracing her fingers.

The curtains parted, so she took her few steps out onto the field. Across from her, Heather's rich snobby scowl pierced her future attempts at any kind of friendship. She despised Heather with all her being on this stage. That in itself seemed to fuel Cindy's desire to win tenfold.

Adrian looked to the camera and scuffled away from it. "The final battle for the Hau'oli Ribbon is set! It's Cindy from Celestiluna City VS Heather from Hau'oli City! Who will win the coveted Ribbon? Five minutes on the clock..." Between the two pictures of the two girls, a small box brought some digital yellow numbers to life. "And begin!" A single beep ripped through the air and the clock's time started falling.

Cindy backed up just to spin around one. Mid spin, she let go of the Pokeball in her hand as she shouted, "Litten, the spotlight's on you!"

The Pokeball gracefully spun around just like the Coordinator that had tossed it, and out of the device came a mass of white plasma and shreds on confetti. The plasma formed into the shape of Litten, another pop of shiny and reflective rainbow confetti joined the open air as the white glowing material revealed Litten. It fell onto its furry paws flawlessly as it stared down Heather with the same level of hatred as Cindy was.

Heather snickered at the looks and twirled around like a princess. "Alright, Oricorio, shine for us!"

Like Cindy's Pokeball, the device spun around in midair before spiting open the plasma it contained. Also from the Pokeball cam long tendrils of sparkly blue ribbon-like lines that wrapped around the plasma and formed a bow before the lines erupted into sparkles and accented the descending Pokemon. The Pokemon in question was bird-like and pink. Fluffy light pink feathers formed a ceremonial headdress type of formation along with a skirt made solely of the soft plumage.

In the audience, Allen pulled his PokeDex out and aimed it towards the Pokemon. "Woah, who's that Pokemon?"

 _Oricorio, the Dancing Pokemon, Pa'u Style. Pa'u Style Oricorio has sipped a bright pink nectar, enabling it to change into a Psychic Type. It sways as it relaxes, which increases its Psychic Type energy. It can fire this energy at opponents who are distracted by the sight of its gently swaying hips._

"Of course I would use the most elegant form of the Dancing Pokemon for this performance," Heather said in her cover-up fake sweetness tone, "it just shows off not Oricorio's natural beauty, but it has the most potential to defeat that ally cat you have."

Cindy's eyes went from 'whoa a Pokemon I've never seen before' mode to narrow and angry with literal flames shooting from her eyes. "Excuse me, what did you say about Litten?! If you're so confident that you're gonna win, then you show it, pretty princess!"

Heather placed a hand upon her chest. "Why, what a lady you are!" She used the previously gentle hand and fiercely swung it out. "Oricorio, darling, start us off with an Air Cutter!"

Oricorio crossed its wings in front of its face in an X-like shape, the appendages gaining a new glow almost as blue and bright as the Alolan sky. It didn't retain this pose for long, as it uncrossed its wings while chirping a battle chirp of some sort. Now ripping through the air was an X-shaped mass of energy that had no brakes applied.

"Now here we go!" Cindy stamped a foot forward. "Litten, use Ember on the Air Cutter and stand back!"

Litten meowed with a slight hiss, then hunched over and gathered a bunch of flames and embers in its mouth. When the time came, Litten released those flames and a ball of fire was on the route to crash into the Air Cutter. And crash the two projectiles did, creating a blast that sent little blue embers and lights into the cheering audience. Litten ran back to its side of the field and casually started licking its paw.

Adrian motioned to the electronic scoreboard. "And Litten's Ember manages to stop Oricorio's Air Cutter dead in its tracks!" On the board, next to each picture of a girl was a full circle of yellow. On Heather's circle, the yellow receded about an eighth. "And that's gonna perform some serious points!"

Heather fisted both hands and gave a quite unladylike grimace. "So you wanna play this way?" She resumed an orderly fashion. "Oricorio, charge up another Air Cutter!"

Like the last time the move was charged, Oricorio crossed its wings over its face and held its stance there. No attack was fired, though. It just stood and waited.

Cindy turned to Litten and pointed to the opposition. "Get ready to use another Ember, Litten. We gotta show her that the same show and dance from Oricorio is gonna result in the same song and dance from us!"

"What a nice strategy you have there." Heather flipped her curled golden locks and laughed. "Now use Helping Hand!"

In the audience, Stephanie set her arms on the border separating the stage from the bleachers and cocked an eyebrow. "But Helping Hand's a move that would be used with two Pokemon to raise their Attack and Special Attack. Surely Heather's not helping Litten?"

Allen adjusted his silver frames and shook his head. "No way would an opponent help her opponent. I'm no Contest Master, but I think that she has a different use for Helping Hand, and it's definitely not going to help Cindy in any way I fear..."

Back with Oricorio, while still holding the Air Cutter, it started to glow even brighter as pure white aura that bore a striking resemblance to electricity surrounded the Dancing Pokemon. The aura all seeped into the wings where the Air Cutter was still being held, the wings now glowing even brighter and crackling with loud snaps and flashes of lights that could remind anyone watching of an Electric Type Pokemon.

On the scoreboard, the circle that detonated Cindy's points fell downwards a bit due to the appealing usage of moves. She was just a hair above Heather's score.

"Now finally use that Air Cutter!" the blonde-haired girl shouted.

Cindy knelled down one one knee to hopefully project her voice to Litten over the sharp sounds of the combination move. "Here it comes! Get an Ember up and do the works, just like last time!"

Litten nodded, then started to gather up more heat and flames in its mouth. It launched the fireball forward at the same time Oricorio let its Air Cutter loose. Instead of a bright blue energy, it was practically blinding and had sparks and glitter flying everywhere from it that showered the audience. The Ember stood no chance as it burst from the projectile, only adding another color of the rainbow to Heather's attack which hit Litten squarely. It flipped a few times in midair before landing right at Cindy's dress shoe-clad feet.

In the audience, Allen twisted his head away from the stage. "Ouch, that was brutal!"

"And I'll say that to Cindy's points," his friend merely whispered. On the scoreboard, Cindy's points took a tumble: a quarter tumble. She was now no longer the leader in the points division, her points uncomfortably hanging between three quarters and one half. "Sure hope she gets back into the swing of things..."

"What a show! Helping Hand has really helped Air Cutter, and that has gotten Heather onto the board!" the MC announced. "And we've got three minutes left!"

The girl with ginger hair picked Litten up and set it back on its four paws. "You okay, Litten?" As soon as she got the nod, she stood back up and dusted her dress off. "This isn't over yet. We can still make a comeback!" She thrust a hand forward. "Litten, let's start right back up and Lick Oricorio!"

Litten charged right back at Oricorio, its little paws pounding on the ground and taking it closer to the Dancing Pokemon. Its face shone with that of vengeance and determination all mixed into one.

Heather snorted, "really? Oricorio, counter with Pound and knock it back!"

As Litten approached its destination, the destination raised a wing up in preparation of the Fire Cat Pokemon running its way. Litten was now in prime striking distance, which made a sinister smirk crawl onto Heather and Oricorio's face.

"Dodge it!" Cindy called.

Before a feathered hammer could slam onto it, Litten sidestepped out of the way. Oricorio's wing hit the ground, and not even Litten's long tail was harmed by the attempt of an attack. With Oricorio paused and looking for where the Fire Cat Pokemon could've gone, its eyes went wide and it started to tremble as it felt a sandpaper like feeling grace its extended wing. It looked down, and there was Litten, its long tongue and all.

Adrian moved the mic closer to her face. "Wow! Litten has come back and incapacitated Oricorio with Lick! How will this shape the battle with two minutes remaining?"

"Now use Scratch!"

Litten finally put its tongue where it belonged. Instead of a long tongue, Litten's long and extended claws decided to pay Oricorio a visit. The claws raked across the Dancing Pokemon, a feather or two still stuck in Litten's sharp claws.

In the audience, Allen looked to the scoreboard. Heather's points fell some more, the two girls now separated by a thinner margin. "If Cindy continues like this, she could actually make a comeback and win!" He examined the point circles. Cindy between three quarters and a half, Heather exactly at three quarters. "C'mon, Cindy... pull through!"

Heather gritted her teeth together. _"How?!"_ She puffed her cheeks out and huffed. "Well, I'm still in the lead. So I'm still winning." She laughed like a little girl and put both of her hands under her chin. "Oricorio, let's use Aerial Ace!"

The Dancing Pokemon rushed forward, then cried out as white streaks flared to life around its body. It jumped up and started flapping its pink wings for some extra speed to crash into Litten with, a few loose feathers dragging behind it.

"Litten, dodge it!" the other girl cried.

Despite Litten's best efforts to jump out of the way of danger, a feathered pink missile got to it first. Litten flew through the air and skidded to a halt on its paws once it landed.

"And Aerial Ace hits!" The points on the scoreboard went further in Cindy's intended direction, now down to half. "We've got a minute and thirty seconds left, folks! Will we see a comeback from Cindy and Litten?"

Cindy felt a warm bead of sweat crawl down the back of her neck. "Ugh... Litten, c'mon! We still have a chance to win this!"

Heather gave a loud and booming laugh from across the stage. "You're _still_ trying? I find that hard to believe yet absolutely entertaining! Funny joke." She thrust her hand forward. "Oricorio, Aerial Ace again!"

Oricorio took flight once again, the open air flashing to life as white streaks gathered around its body. It once again dive bombed down right towards Litten.

"Now use Ember, Litten!" Cindy shouted.

Before Oricorio could make the hit again, the target quickly gathered some flames in its mouth and spit them forward. The fireball smashed into the Dancing Pokemon, the streaks from the Aerial Ace fading away as it crashed into the ground.

On the scoreboard, Heather's points dropped down again, once again locking the girls in a near tie. Cindy took note of the board as well. If she could get just one more hit, she'd reclaim the lead and hopefully the Hau'oli Ribbon.

Cindy took a slow breath, then swung an arm out. "Litten, it's time! Use Ember and then Scratch, we have to get a Flame Claw up!"

A new spark of confidence revealed itself on Litten's face as it nodded in understanding. It angled its head up as it shot another Ember into the open air. Just as the flames were forfeiting to gravity, the Fire Cat Pokemon's claws extended and started to glow a blinding white. It raked its claws through the Ember, the leftover flames wrapping around Litten' claws and setting them ablaze.

"Wow, look at Litten's claws!" Adrian shouted as Heather's points dropped, "they're literally on fire from the Ember! How can Cindy use this with fifty seconds left?"

Heather's legs quivered as she eyed the combination move. "H-how?!" She inhaled and exhaled, then pointed to Litten. "Oricorio, use Air Cutter!"

Oricorio, with a clear picture of worry painted on its face, crossed its wings again and started to charge up an Air Cutter. However, it took slightly longer than usual with the Flying Type Pokemon's fear of the Fire Cat Pokemon glaring it down with the raging inferno known as claws.

The ginger-haired Coordinator shouted, _"_ _go, Litten, go!"_

Litten sped off not even a second after the command, its flaming claws leaving small scorch marks wherever they had been prior. Even with the Air Cutter that had been fired at it, it swung its front paws around in a frenzy, thus marking the end of that Air Cutter's chapter. Litten was then staring down Oricorio beak to nose after the smoke cleared from the mix of Flame Claw and Air Cutter, which made Oricorio's eyes bug out and produce small chirps akin to whimpers. The Fire Type Pokemon showed no mercy though, as it spun a whole three-hundred sixty degrees and graced the opposition, stray embers and sparks following the claws.

Adrian took a while to collect herself as she merely whispered, "wow, I've never seen a Litten with such passion to win!" On the scoreboard, Heather's points fell downwards again, now just a bit behind Cindy. "And we have twenty seconds!"

Cindy felt a smile grace her lips as she jumped upwards. "Yes! Great job, Litten! We're in the clear to win this contest-"

"Aerial Ace!" a snotty voice interrupted.

The girl's happy face went perhaps totally white and slack-jawed as she heard an Oricorio's angered chirping. Litten hopped up and started running in midair as it tried to get out of the way, but as Cindy knew, some things never worked the way she wanted.

She never wanted Litten to get hit by that Aerial Ace and fly back to her feet. And she never wanted to see her points fall a bit right as the buzzer rang. However, the scores were hard to determine, especially with such a slim difference.

"Time! And the winner of this Hau'oli Contest is..." the MC called. Because of the point difference, a side-by-side was pulled up on the scoreboard. Cindy's points were sitting at about below half, Heather's was closer to one half.

Closer than she was.

"Heather from Hau'oli City! Congratulations!"

Heather's face changed from worry to happiness, then changed yet again to one of snideness. She placed a hand on her heart as she laughed. "What did you expect from Alola's next Top Coordinator, hmm?"

Cindy kept her eyes on the board as she felt her body fully tense up. She slowly tilted her head down to Litten, she was sitting on its haunches and looking down as well. She bit her lower lip, then bent down and ran a gentle hand over Litten's head. "Hey, it's okay, Litten." She slipped her arms under its front legs and picked it up in her arms. "It was our first contest, and I'm so proud of you for getting this far. Don't worry, we'll practice even harder and get even better for our next contest."

Litten mewed quietly and licked her arm.

In the audience, Allen and Stephanie stayed silent. While Allen had gone to distract himself by cleaning his glasses, Stephanie was looking off with a blank yet disappointing look. Not the kind of disappointing as in angry at a friend's failure, but a sadness at a friend's failure. She grabbed Allen's hand and started out of the audience section, hopefully to see Cindy.

* * *

On the stage, Heather was now standing on a small podium along with Fomantis (who was _still_ in her purse) and Oricorio. While the cameras were still rolling, Mr. Contesta strode up to the victor with a small box in his hands. He stopped in front of Heather and bowed downwards.

"Congratulations for winning the Hau'oli Contest." He resumed a natural stance as he presented the box forward. Resting in the box was a Ribbon with an oval-shaped golden clasp with orange pieces of fabrics bordered by a crisp white. "We hope to see you take this Ribbon and ride it further to the Alola Grand Festival!"

Heather picked the Ribbon up and dipped her head down. "Thank you, sir." She snickered and spun around, using a foot to halt herself as she held the Ribbon up. "The Hau'oli Ribbon is mine and only mine now!" She stepped down from the podium after the applause died down and returned backstage, her poofy dress following her all the way.

* * *

It was in the lobby that Cindy had been sitting for some time. With her dress folded in her arms and Litten laying next to her, she managed to keep her head up. It was a rocky contest, and she never knew how they really felt despite watching what felt like every contest in existence- twice.

"Cindy!"

She quickly snapped up, where she saw a boy with forest green hair running up to her. Behind him was a smaller girl with a high blue ponytail.

"Allen! Stephanie!" She stood up and wrapped an arm around the two. "So, how do you think I did for my first Pokemon Contest?"

Stephanie gave a small grin. "It was great. I really liked seeing you and Litten battle. Maybe if I decide to try another contest I can take some ideas from you."

Allen gave her a thumbs-up. "I liked it! It was my first time watching a Pokemon Contest, and I couldn't have picked a better contest!" His smile faded. "Though I'm still upset that you somehow lost... I thought you really had it with Flame Claw!"

The girl held her arm out for Litten, to which it accepted as it jumped up. "Me too. But you know what they say: you win some, you lose some. This is my loss, so next time, it's my time to win!" She looked to her friends and offered a smile. "I think we should leave this chapter behind me and start anew. How about we go back to the Pokemon Center and finally relax for our next day in Hau'oli City?"

The two nodded, prompting the three to finally leave the Contest Hall. Even as Cindy passed by people who were chattering about Heather and her recent upset victory, she kept a smile on her face as she repeated her rhetoric in her mind. Today's contest was a loss, but that would hopefully mean that the next contest was hers, and her first Ribbon was perhaps closer than she thought.

* * *

 _It's time for the finals of the Hau'oli Contest's battle round! It's Cindy and Litten VS Heather and Oricorio, two very standout Coordinators in term of strength and showmanship. At first, it's a battle that swung both ways until Cindy managed to secure a small but definite lead! But it seemed that her cockiness and assumption that she was going to win was ultimately her downfall, leaving her open for Heather to come in and take the victory! Even without her first Ribbon in her case, she keeps confident that her time to earn her Ribbon will be soon. Cindy's quest to become Top Coordinator has started and is still going strong as the joureny continues!_

* * *

A/N: Hey, readers! So, here's the contest battle... I'm a bit rusty on the subject, so I sure hope it's good! I'd also like to thank those that left such insightful reviews, I really appreciate it! *hugs* It's almost Allen's time to shine, so stay tuned for more next week! Until then~!


	15. School's in Session!

Pokemon Delta Sun and Theta Moon

Written by SkittleBoxx

Episode 15: School's in Session!

* * *

It was sometime in the afternoon the next day. Because nothing was really going on, three friends were sitting on a bench in a nice and relaxing public park together. While two of them talked mindlessly to each other, the other continuously ran her hand over her Pokemon's sleek fur.

 _'...it's really hard to accept that I actually lost the Hau'oli Contest... I though I had it in the bag.'_ Cindy turned her bright blue eyes up to the partly cloudy sky above. The dark grey colors sprinkled in gave the impression that rain could've been forecast for the day, but rain was quite uncommon in Alola. _'And it's really hard to accept that there are practically no more contests to do on Melemele Island. We have to hop islands to get my first Ribbon... it really should be my second...'_

"Um, Cindy?" the only boy in the group inquired as he poked her shoulder, "you've been looking at the clouds way longer than a normal person would look at the clouds. Are you okay?"

Cindy put a smile on and continued to pet Litten, who was lazily curled up on her legs. "Me? Of course! I'm just wondering if..." She shifted her eyes to the sky. "...if it'll rain. It looks a little dark over there, don't you think?"

The other girl leaned forward to better communicate with her seemingly idol figure. "It does... but you haven't talked to us in a while. I don't think that's the best way to claim that you're okay."

After some time, Cindy hunched down and sighed. "...I'm not okay, okay? I'm trying not to be disappointed at my loss yesterday, but I just can't shake this off. This was my chance to show Alola and the world that I was a serious threat to their Ribbons, yet I failed miserably..." She bit her lower lip as she returned her gaze to her friends. "And I don't wanna mope and whine and annoy you guys with my troubles..."

Allen adjusted his glasses, then grabbed Stephanie's arm. "It's no use talking to her. We have to do it. Now."

"Do what-"

The boy stood up and placed his hands on his hips while giving Cindy a nervous grin. "Hey, don't feel so down. In Alola, there's no excuse to be sad when we have what'll turn that frown upside down!" He looked over his shoulder and nodded to himself. "And there's absolutely no excuse to cry in Hau'oli City when they have the biggest shop in the Alola region dedicated to these!"

Stephanie jumped up and licked her lips. "You don't mean?!"

"Oh yes I mean!" He grabbed Cindy's hands and pulled her up. "It's time for a malasada run!"

" _Yes!_ " the smaller girl exclaimed. She looked off into space as she clasped her hands over her chest and her eyes filled with stars. "Oh how I love malasadas! Alola's specialty fried bread, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside! How they powder them with sugar and fill them with such succulent fillings that make you a Steel Type affected by Magnet Pull..." She grabbed Cindy's hand and leaned in nose-to-nose with her. "Aren't malasadas great?"

Cindy leaned back away from her exuberant friend a bit. "Um... I've never had a malasasa."

Both Allen and Stephanie stared at the girl with expression that showed some kind of surprise.

"...what?"

Once again, Allen grabbed Cindy's hand (how many times her friends grabbed her hand/arm at this point was off the charts) and ignored his glasses sliding down his nose. "We'll have to fix that, then! Alola's famous for malasadas, and if you're a citizen of Alola, it's pretty sad if you've never had one." He dragged her away from the bench, Stephanie also taking her other hand and helping in the endeavor.

Cindy, while running along with basically her captors, sighed. "We're getting jelly-filled doughnuts?"

"Even better!" the other girl responded. "Malasadas aren't just your typical jelly-filled doughnut, but they're so much better! You can fill it with whatever you want and you can even choose the flavor of the bread!" Stephanie slipped back into her starry-eyed world of bliss again. "At Hou'omaka Town, I always used to get a chocolate malasada with chocolate filling... that was _the_ stuff!" She returned to the real world and continued running without somehow falling in those knee-high boots. "C'mon! The malasadas are waiting!"

The taller girl made sure that Litten wasn't flying away as they ran. When she knew that Litten could hold on, she ran a little faster to keep up with her excited friends.

Alola was weird, Cindy told herself.

* * *

After a few minutes of being dragged around, Cindy felt her two friends slow down a bit as they turned a corner. She let go of their hands and started to examine the city around her. They were outside the huge hub of the city square, but there were still moderately tall buildings around the area, presumably apartment buildings. As they walked along the sidewalk, Cindy felt her blue eyes settle on a building that could be called a magnet due to the sheer flamboyancy of it.

The building in question looked like it had gotten into a fight with a rainbow and lost horribly. Every color of the spectrum was present somewhere on the walls, and the only trace of a pastel color was on the big sign on the front. It had a Pokemon known as Slurpuff on it, its stubby little arm carrying an object that looked like a circular loaf of bread. Above the sign were windows, so it was an apartment building as well. Cindy pitied those who lived in the obnoxious building. Who would want to visit their friend who lived in a rainbow?

"We're visiting a rainbow," she deadpanned.

Allen adjusted his frames and shook his head. "Not just any rainbow. This rainbow is the doorway to Alola's slice of heaven!" He scuttled behind Cindy and started gently pushing her forward. "Let's go inside! We're not waiting for an invitation!"

Cindy felt her feet move closer to the building, and soon, they were inside. If the exterior were to be compared to the interior, they would be no different: loud colors splashed along the walls. Only on the inside was super jubilant music playing while the restaurants patrons sat at booths with plates stacked high with dessert-like food.

This time, it was Stephanie's turn to call the shots. She leaped right in front of the two and pointed vigorously towards an open booth. "Over there!" She took Cindy's arm and then looked to Allen. "Okay, so me and Cindy will sit down there so no one takes our seat. Allen, go up and get us some malasadas. Flavor doesn't matter. Cindy just needs to try one."

"Will do, Steph," Allen responded.

The smaller girl focused her aquamarine eyes on Cindy's bright blue ones. "Okay, so let's go!" With her friend in tow, they walked by other people who were chatting over food. Cindy took a whiff of the aroma, and she did have to admit that the smell alone made her mouth water. Cindy just had to wonder what the fried bread confections tasted like now. Even Litten was having fun taking in the smells.

They stopped at the empty booth. Stephanie slid in first, followed by her Sinnohian friend. Just before Cindy went to reach into her bag and grab her PokeTab to look up more on malasadas, she heard a plate clank down on the sleek green and blue swirl top. On the shiny whole plate was a pile of steaming fresh malasadas, all varying in colors whether it be the bread or the inside filling that seeped out of the fit to burst malasada.

Allen took a seat across from both girls and adjusted his glasses nervously. "Uh, I just figured I'd get a different variety of flavors. Just in case, y'know, Cindy tastes one she doesn't like and she isn't pegged with something she won't eat." He pushed the plate closer to Cindy. "You choose first, it is your first malasada after all."

Cindy gave a nod of agreement, then turned her attention to the collection of confections. Which one would she choose? The light brown one with the yellow filling, or the beige one with an excess overflow of pink filling? Her hand was basically a grabber from a skill crane game: just hovering over the prizes. She finally lowered her hand and wrapped her fingers around a random one, the beige one with pink filling. She then transported the malasada near her mouth.

Meanwhile, Allen and Stephanie were pounding their fists on the table and leaned in closer to Cindy for some kind of encouragement. At least, Cindy thought it was encouragement.

And then the fateful moment.

She opened her mouth and bit down on the bread. The description of a malasada was right: the outside was fried. But she managed to tear away a chunk and start the taste experience that Alolans craved.

The malasada she chose tasted very sweet, like someone had pureed a Pecha Berry and stuffed the sweet goodness into the bread. The fried bits added a texture that was unusual yet somehow delicious. And the powdered sugar on the top added another zing of sweetness. It was a beautifully crafted snack, and Cindy could now tell why there was practically a malasada shop in every town they had visited thus far, including the one she remembered when driving to her new home in Celestiluna City.

Allen and Stephanie stopped beating the tabletop up and raised their fists as they shouted, _"success!"_ They high-fived each other and took a malasada of their own to celebrate.

"What are you celebrating?"

Stephanie, who had her mouth full of malasada (an almost white one with blue filling), shrugged. "Well, this is your first malasada. I guess we can consider you an Alolan now." She stopped to gulp down her bite. "Aren't these good? I think you're eating one of those sweet ones. Not as good as Hou'omaka Town's specialty double chocolate, but they come close."

Cindy looked at her dessert and realized it was half gone already. "Yeah, they're amazing!" She turned to the male of the group. "Allen, which one are you having?"

Allen held his malasada up. "This is a malasada that's like a cinnamon bun. It's glazed and has cinnamon filling in it! They have these at Celestiluna City as well, I believe that these malasadas are unique to Melemele Island and Ula' Ula Island." He licked his lips. "Now, time to enter heaven-" He stopped himself as a tanned hand literally swiped the treat from us hand.

"...that's not normal," Stephanie commented.

On the top of the seat Allen was sitting on, a young boy had his arms crossed onto it. His green-ish hair not pulled up into a ponytail was covering his eyes. He had Allen's malasada in hand along with an innocent smile.

The boy laughed. "Oh, I was gonna ask if we could share!" He clambered off his booth and stood at the end of the trio's table. "I love malasadas. It's the bestest thing about living in Alola!"

Allen stood up and got next to the boy. Although childish, he was about the same height as Allen. "Um... they are, but you don't need to steal."

"Oh? Sorry 'bout that! I though you were giving it to me!" He handed the malasada back and stuck his thumb to his chest. "I'm Hau! I got super hungry after my Charm Piece battle, so I came here!"

The boy with the glasses gasped quietly. "Wait, Charm Piece? You know the Trial Captain and where I can find them? And you're doing the Alola League challenge, too?"

Hau smiled and gave an exuberant nod. "Yep! In fact, I just earned my first Charm Piece!" He took out a yellow case and popped the lid open, where a white crystal-like piece was settled in the velvet. "You'll probably have to visit the Trainer's School, that's where Trial Captain Ilima is!"

"Ilima, you say? I guess I came in at the nick of time for a little snack."

All four teenagers turned their head to the entrance of the shop, where a young man with pink hair was standing.

Stephanie grabbed onto Cindy's arm and leaned closer to her ear. "Cindy, help, he's cute..."

Hau threw a fist into the open air. "Alright! It's Ilima!" He ran up to the pink-haired boy and held a fist out. "I still gotta thank you for that battle!"

Ilima shrugged with a laugh and returned the fistbump. "You flatter me, I'm just a Trial Captain." He walked up to the table and smiled. "Now, were you talking about me?"

Allen nervously adjusted his glasses. "Wow... an actual Trial Captain standing right in front of me!" He dug a toe into the ground as a nervous blush covered his face. "I'm sorry... I'm just so excited! I'm probably red right now, aren't I?"

"Oh, no need to grow nervous, I'm not intimidating," Ilima said. "So, I'm guessing by your chat about me that you wish to battle me for my Charm Piece?"

The nervous young man took a few deep breathes in and out. He nodded as soon as he was together again. "Yes. I'm taking on my League challenge! Though I don't have a Charm Piece yet... I'm hoping that I could get it from you!"

Stephanie's eyes seemed to be actual beating hearts as she slid closer to Ilima. "Yes, battle Allen so I can see you... you're so dreamy..."

Ilima cocked an eybrow and looked to Cindy and Allen. "Um, is she alright?"

Cindy pushed her lovestruck companion away, Litten somewhat helping. "Yeah, she's fine. She's just tired."

"So, if you wish to battle me... shall we go? All my battles are conducted at the Trainer's School, where I work sometimes. They call me the Prince of the Trainer's School, so I guess that's another clue as to where we'll battle."

Allen took a last minute bite of his malasada and slung his green backpack over his shoulder. "Alrighty." He turned around. "Girls, you ready?"

"Yep!" She gave the last bit of her malasada to Litten. "Steph, you ready?"

"Mhmm... Allen, can Ilima join us on our journey...?"

With everyone ready, the five exited the malasada shop. It was still afternoon, but t would be hard to tell by the cloud cover that had rolled in. On Cindy's shoulder, Litten nervously looked up. The clouds were a dark grey, almost like it could rain at any second.

At the front of the group, Allen and Ilima examined the street signs that had mentions of the Trainer's school. Luckily, as Ilima explained, he taught a class at the Trainer's School occasionally and he let his students run to the malasada shop to grab a bite to eat. So if one were to connect the dots, the dessert shop wasn't that far from the Trainer's School. In fact, it was explained that the two were only a few blocks away from each other.

It was easy to figure out when they made it. In front of them was a sprawling campus that was at least four to five stories tall. There was one central spire that had a Pokeball pattern on it, and engraved into the stone was 'POKEMON TRAINER'S SCHOOL'. However, Ilima lead his followers away from the main building, detouring them around the school. It took a while to circle around one side of the school due to the size, but they stopped when it was clear where they were going.

Behind the school was a whole field. Bleachers shot out of the ground and reached heights that could make anyone afraid of heights. Due to the lowered brightness from the clouds, bright field lights were illuminating the dirt battlefield. Already, there were cheering children in the stands, all either shouting over each other to talk to a friend or chanting their teacher's name.

"Whoa... we're battling here?" Allen asked.

Ilima walked ahead of the boy and entered the gate that lead to the battlefield. "Yep! This way, all the aspiring Trainers can watch what it truly takes to become the best." He walked to his side of the field and motioned for Allen to take the other spot.

Nervously, Allen and his two female companions rounded over to the side opposite of Ilima. Once the challenger was in place, a woman walked up to the sidelines holding two flags. She cleared her throat. "Welcome to the Trainer's School! I'm principal Asuka, the refree for today's battle! Today, we have a Charm Piece battle between Trial Captain Ilima..." She stopped to let all the children loudly cheer. "...and our challenger, Allen from Celestiluna City!"

Allen just gave a determined smile.

"This battle will be a two-VS-two battle! Each Trainer will use two Pokemon, and the first Trainer to knock out the opposition's two Pokemon will be declared the winner! The challenger may recall Pokemon, while the Trial Captain may not! When the challenger has selected his two Pokemon, we will continue!"

Cindy gasped quietly. "Allen, you don't have two Pokemon yet!"

Before the panic could continue, Stephanie walked up to Allen, unclipped her Pokeball from her belt, then handed it to Allen. "Here. You can use Rowlet for this battle." She stared sternly at the device. "Rowlet, make sure to listen to Allen."

The Pokeball shook around.

With a second Pokemon, Allen turned back around and nodded. "I'm ready!"

Asuka held both flags perpendicular to her. "Alright! With both sides ready..." She threw the flags down near her sides. "Battle begin!"

Allen gripped the Pokeball tighter and a shine reflected off his glasses. "This is it. Let's go!"

Two Pokeballs flew through the air, the battle starting.

* * *

 _It's time for the moment Allen has been waiting for! Due to a visit to the Hau'oli City malasada shop, Allen learned more about the Trail Captain he had been seeking from a young malasada loving young man named Hau, who had just finished his Charm Piece battle. And right on cue, Ilima, the Trial Captain of Hau'oli City, appeared! He accepted the request to battle, so he and Allen made their way to the Trainer's School, where the battle will be conducted. With Rockruff and Stephanie's Rowlet, Allen is ready to fight for his first Charm Piece as the journey continues!_

* * *

A/N: Hello, my fabulous readers! First, I am _so_ sorry for delaying this chapter! After losing my grandmother about a week ago, I haven't had much time to focus on DSTM with all that has happened. I sure hope you understand, next chapter should most likely be on time yet there's still no guarantee. But ignoring time issues, I sure hope the extra wait was worth it and that you enjoyed! I'll see you next week!


	16. Prince of the Charm!

Pokemon Delta Sun and Theta Moon

Written by SkittleBoxx

Episode 16: Prince of the Charm!

* * *

Adrenaline and determination. That was all Allen could feel at the moment.

What was it about seeing two Pokeballs literally clash in the air? What was it about battling an experienced Trainer that wasn't a childhood rival and jerk?

Maybe because it was time for the moment- or battle- of truth.

On Allen's side of the field, the white plasma joined together to form the shape of the Grass Quill Pokemon. With a burst of light, Rowlet was visible and flying in the open air.

"Good luck, Rowlet!" Stephanie cheered from the sideline bleachers.

On the other side of the field, the Pokeball Ilima sent out had already opened and the plasma was forming a somewhat familiar shape. The Pokemon had a long, slender body and large bared teeth.

Cindy pointed towards the Pokemon. "That's a Yungoos! Since Yungoos is a Normal Type, Allen could switch into the Rock Type Rockruff to defend against its Normal Type attacks better!"

Stephanie kept focused on her Pokemon. "But Rowlet can fly and has ranged moves like Leafage and the ability to shoot sharp arrows. So any Pokemon could work for Allen because Normal Type Pokemon have no resistances. But on the downside, they have no weakness apart from Fighting, which Allen doesn't have a Pokemon or move of that type."

"So, I hear that your friends have their own strategies on how they would take my Pokemon on," Ilima commented. "But let's see your strategy! Take the first move, my challenger."

Allen adjusted his glasses and nodded. "Right." He felt that familiar feeling of his hand shaking as he swung it out. "Okay, I've never battled with a Rowlet before... so... use Leafage!"

Rowlet, who wasn't afraid to comply to a new Trainer, flew up higher and spun around while its wings started to glow a vibrant green. Sharp leaves of the same color were then hurled at Yungoos.

Ilima snapped his glove-clad fingers together. "Yungoos, put up a Sand Attack wall to block it!"

The Loitering Pokemon slammed its front legs on the ground that kicked up a huge plume of dirt and sand. The leaves from the Leafage attack rammed into the earthy wall, each leaf that made contact bursting into nothing but smoke and flames. When the sand and sparks settled, Yungoos was unharmed and still staring Rowlet down.

"Ugh... he just blocked our attack! Trial Captains are a lot harder to beat than I first thought..." Allen looked up at Rowlet. "Okay... let's go in and use Peck!"

Ilima tensed up a bit. "Yungoos, get ready!"

In the sky, Rowlet chirped a battle chirp as it dive bombed downwards. Its beak radiated a bright white light as its beak enlongated, making it more like a tiny and round missile headed towards Yungoos.

"Okay, now Tackle!" the Trial Captain called.

Just as Rowlet was about to ram into Yungoos, the opposing Pokemon leaped upwards and slapped Rowlet with its long tail. That knocked Rowlet off-course and onto the ground near Allen's feet.

Ilima thrust a hand forward. "Now get up close and use Bite!"

In just a fraction of a second after landing, Yungoos shot forward and ran towards the Grass Quill Pokemon with its powerful jaws open. All of its teeth shone with the field lights.

Stephanie stood up and cupped her fingerless-gloved hands over her mouth. "Allen, Rowlet knows Steel Wing! Use that to your advantage!"

Allen gasped quietly. "So it does... Rowlet, when Yungoos comes close, block that Bite attack with Steel Wing!"

When Yungoos jumped up to arc over to Rowlet, Rowlet's wings became glossed in a steel-grey color. It crossed those wings in front of itself, where Yungoos bit onto a wing with no damage done to Rowlet. The Loitering Pokemon struggled to unlatch its razor-sharp teeth from Rowlet's wing.

"Now throw Yungoos up and use Leafage!" the challenger called.

The Grass Quill Pokemon raised the wing Yungoos was stuck onto with force, unlatching the opposition and metaphorically turning it to a Flying Type. Then, Rowlet's wings changed from grey to green at it produced many bright green leaves that flew towards the Yungoos helplessly flying through the air. The leaves made contact, an explosion with smoke and fire making Yungoos plummet downwards in a puff of dirt.

Cindy stood up and threw a fist up, Litten doing the same with a furry paw. "Alright, Allen!"

Ilima gave Allen an approving smile. "Wow, what a strategy! Using a move to block, incapacitate, and then strike... now _that's_ Charm Piece worthy talent! But the battle's not over yet!" Ilima was practically leaping and bounding around. "I feel so alive! Yungoos, go in for another Bite!"

Allen found a smirk on his face. "Rowlet, down on the ground!"

"But that's putting Rowlet straight into the line of fire!" the ginger-haired girl shouted. "What's he doing?!"

Stephanie shrugged and brushed some dust off of her bare shoulder. "I don't know... but from what I've seen from this battle, Allen has some tricks up that jacket sleeve..."

Yungoos rocketed forward again, its sharp teeth bore again. It was running faster than last time, probably due to the hefty attack that it had suffered beforehand. It pushed off the ground and gained extra speed as it got ready to clamp its jaws onto the Grass and Flying Type Pokemon.

"Now up and backstab with Tackle!"

Before Yungoos could reach Point B, Point B moved upwards and forced Yungoos to literally eat its dust. As it skidded towards a halt, Rowlet circled around and approached Yungoos with a small but sharp talon out. It made contact, the Loitering Pokemon flying far backwards and off the field and landing on the track area that surrounded the dirt battlefield. Yungoos got back up onto its shaky legs, but fell seconds after.

Asuka held a flag towards Allen and Rowlet. "Yungoos is unable to battle! Allen and Rowlet win!"

Ilima managed a smile and held a black and yellow Pokeball out. "Great job, Yungoos." A long red beam shot forward and changed the fainted Pokemon to red energy. "We'll handle the rest from here." Ilima put that Pokeball away and turned to Allen. "Nice job, Allen. Despite you being a beginning Trainer, I can already see your battle style emerging. But let's see how you can handle my last Pokemon! Go, Rattata!"

The Pokeball was thrown and flew through the air before bursting open. The white plasma settled into a form that was small and had shaggy black fur with prominent whiskers. It stood up on its hind legs and its claws were fisted like it was about to fight.

Cindy stood up and took her PokeDex out. "That's a Rattata? But it looks so different from any Rattata I've seen in Sinnoh..."

 _Rattata, the Mouse Pokemon, Alolan Form. Rattata in Alola have adapted to live in urban areas. As a result, they are nocturnal and seek out fresh food while ignoring spoiled food. It can gnaw through doors and invade homes. They form large nests that are led by a Raticate._

"Wow, so Pokemon can adapt to different regions! That's awesome, we don't have those kinds of Pokemon in Sinnoh!" Cindy squealed.

Stephanie smiled. "And Alolan Pokemon can change type as well. For instance, a normal Rattata is just Normal Type. But Alolan Form Rattata is Normal Type _and_ Dark Type!"

Ilima looked to the girls in the bleachers. "Looks like you've done your homework!" He then turned back to Allen. "Now let's see if you've done yours! Rattata, start us off with a Quick Attack!"

Rattata shifted off of its hind legs and used all four to propel itself towards Rowlet. It jumped up as a bright white streak of light followed it upwards.

Allen swung his slightly shaky hand out. "Dodge it!"

Rowlet, who wasn't expecting such a small and speedy bullet to interrupt, was hit squarely by the Quick Attack. It quickly corrected its flying position as Rattata skidded to a halt on the other side of the field.

"Again, Rattata!" Ilima commanded as he jumped up. "This is so fun, rapid fire!"

If Rowlet wasn't prepared for the first attack, it stood no chance against a rapid fire multitude of Quick Attacks. Whenever Rattata would land after smacking into Rowlet, it would spend less than a second recovering as it jumped up again to ram into the Grass Quill Pokemon again. Soon enough, Rowlet had no more energy to keep airborne and was grounded with not much energy left due to the Mouse Pokemon's assault of attacks.

Ilima let out a slightly childish laugh. "Now wind it up and deliver the final blow!"

Rattata ran back to its Trainer, then rushed back to Rowlet. A white trail brighter than previous ones flared into existence behind the opposition as it used that speed to make up for its size. It smacked straight into Rowlet, who was sent backwards and slammed against the chain-link fence surrounding the field. It fell out of the metal tangle, no will to fight evident in its beady eyes.

Asuka threw a flag towards Ilima's side of the field. "Rowlet is unable to battle! Ilima and Rattata win!"

Allen turned around to face the fainted Pokemon, then held a Pokeball up. "Rowlet, return!" As soon as Rowlet was back in the ball, he smiled. "Good job out there. I bet Stephanie's really proud of you." He tossed the capsule device gently towards the sidelines.

In the sidelines, Stephanie stood up and caught her Pokeball. "Thanks, Allen!" She hugged the ball close. "Rowlet, you were amazing! If we would've gotten past the appeals of the Hau'oli Contest, I bet you would've shown that battle spirit!" She clipped the Pokeball back on her belt and looked up. "So... if you're good at battles... then maybe..." She shook her head. "No. Just keep watching the battle, Steph."

"Alright... this is what determines this battle!" He took his last Pokeball and pressed the button on the middle, then threw the expanded Pokeball out as he shouted, "Rockruff, come on out!"

The Pokeball burst open and white plasma spilled out of the capsule before forming the shape of a canine-like Pokemon. The plasma settled with a pop, and there was the Rock Type Pokemon.

Ilima examined his opposition and nodded. "Ah, a Rock Type Pokemon! I guess my Normal Type moves won't be very effective, then..." He put a hand on his hip and laughed to himself. "But thanks to Rattata's Dark Typing, we have some moves we _can_ use-" He stopped upon something landing on his nose. "What? Is this... water?"

Allen also flinched backwards slightly against something obstructing his clear view. He took his silver frames off and squinted to get a sub-par look at them. "It _is_ water!" He used end end of his green and gold jacket to wipe them off. "Does that mean..."

On the sidelines, all the children were holding their hands out. Cindy felt Litten uncomfortably shift around on her shoulder and leap off of it entirely in favor of taking shelter in her watermelon-patterned bag.

A loud crack of thunder answered everyone's questions. In only seconds, a few raindrops turned to perhaps a mini deluge. At this point, the kids were screaming due to the sharp noise beforehand, all pouring out of the bleachers and hiding on the underside of the raised platforms.

The challenger of the battle bent down and scooped up some of the battlefield in his hand. Unlike dirt, the battlefield was now dark and goopy in some spots. He let go of the handful of mud, the earth splatting upon contacting where it had been beforehand.

"...this rain isn't gonna detour us!" Allen thrust his muddy hand forward. "So let's go! Gimme your best shot, Ilima!"

Ilima chucked and put a hand on his chest. "Gladly!" He then threw that hand out. "Rattata, start us with another Quick Attack!"

Allen smirked and looked down, the lenses of his glasses whiting out and his eyes disappearing due to the glare. "That's just where I want you. Rockruff, use a weather-changed Sand Attack!"

Rattata started another mad dash towards its opposition, but before it could get the hit in, the Puppy Pokemon raised its front legs up and slammed them into the mud in front of it. A slur of mud created a barrier between Rockruff and Rattata, and the Mouse Pokemon's speed offered no brakes. It ran straight into the mud, all of it splashing onto the Alolan Pokemon's eyes, rendering it practically like Allen without his glasses.

Cindy stood up and cheered, "alright, Allen! Use those crafty strategies and go in for your Charm Piece!"

Ilima put both hands to his side and fisted them. "Rattata, wash that mud off your face by looking up at the rain!" He pushed his damp pink hair aside and took a glance at Allen. "Ugh... this kid's one of the tougher ones I've faced... he's just so strategic and attacks with his brain, almost!"

"Before that can happen, use Bite on the tail!" Allen commanded.

Due to Rattata's inability to see, it never caught the sight of Rockruff's teeth glowing a bright white and clamping its jaws down on its tail. Rattata cried out in protest and pain as it shook its head to either wriggle free or get the mud off its face.

Allen slipped his glasses into his pocket as they had too much water on them. Cleaning them would be practically useless with the weather. "We're almost there, you're doing great, Rockruff! Now back and forth onto the ground!"

Rockruff, still with Rattata's tail in its mouth, swung the Mouse Pokemon down to the ground, then jerked its head the other direction. It repeated the maneuver again and again, Rattata still unable to get a break from the mud that now coated it.

Ilima leaped up and shouted, "Rattata, give 'em a bit of their own medicine! Tail Whip!"

Rattata's tail tensed up a bit. When it was at the apex of its torturer's swing, it shifted its weight and flipped a few times. Due to Rockruff's strong jaw, it wasn't able to let go and it was taken along on the ride towards the cold, hard, slightly muddy ground. With Rockruff's face was thrust into the mud, Rattata's tail was free so it quickly darted back to Ilima.

"Two can play with strategy, Allen!" Ilima threw his hand forward again. "Rattata, get a Bite attack in!"

Rattata opened its tiny mouth and shot forward. Its big front tooth started to glow a bright white as it charged.

Despite not having his glasses on, the challenger could see the light heading towards his Pokemon. "Dodge it!"

In just a split second, Rockruff managed to jump upwards and let Rattata skid to a halt below it. Rattata perched itself back onto its hind legs and sniffed around for the Pokemon that had gotten away.

"Now Tackle!"

While still in midair, Rockruff angled itself towards the ground and descended towards the Mouse Pokemon. Seconds later, a Puppy Pokemon missile crashed into its opposition with the sharp protruding rocks on its fluffy collar. The force was enough to make Rattata fly backwards and sprawl into a heap near Ilima's feet.

On the sidelines, Stephanie pulled her damp blue hair out of her once poofy ponytail and grinned. "Allen's on a roll! He could actually pull this off!"

Ilima also had a huge grin on his face, and his grey eyes were sparkling with life. "I can really feel this battle now! So let's finish with another Bite!"

Once again, Rattata's main tooth started to glow a blinding white. It was running at a breakneck speed by now, all the mud tracking behind it.

Allen swung a hand out. "Intimidate with Leer!"

Rockruff hunched down and held its ground as it gave a menacing growl. Its eyes started to glow an eerie green, and they were fixated right on Rattata. The Mouse Pokemon slowed down and eventually halted just to turn away and hide its face from the eyes that rendered its attack useless.

"Yes!" Allen jumped up and pointed to his opposition. "Now one last Tackle and that should do it!"

The Puppy Pokemon stopped its glaring and darted forward despite the mud hindering it sometimes. It tucked its head to one side to expose those sharp rocks in its collar, to which it rammed into Rattata with at full speed. The Alolan Pokemon flew far back and became somewhat tangled in the chain link fence behind Ilima. When Ilima turned around, he saw his Pokemon fall out of the fence and land on its back. Its eyes had long lost the will to keep battling.

Asuka held a flag towards Allen and his Pokemon. "Rattata is unable to battle! Allen and Rockruff win!" She set the flags down. "And since Ilima has no remaining Pokemon left, the winner of this Charm Piece battle is the challenger, Allen!"

Allen felt his face break into a wide smile. "I... I won?!" He shook his head to lessen the wetness of his locks and leaped upwards. "I actually won against a Trial Captain!" He held his arms out for Rockruff to jump into, to which it did. "I'm so proud of you, buddy! You did so great out there!"

Rockruff yipped in celebration and licked its Trainer's face.

Cindy slung her bag over her shoulder and ran towards Allen. "Wow, that was great! And you even won your first battle against a Trial Captain!"

Stephanie also joined the little friendship circle. "You and Rockruff did amazing! And without your help, I would've never known Rowlet is good at battles." She combed through her long damp hair. "I bet Hala's turning in his sleep knowing that he'll have to face this talent one day!"

"Excuse my interruption," the Trial Captain spoke as he strode towards Allen. He beamed. "That was a great battle. I don't remember a time I was so fired up... I'm glad to know that there are some Trainers out there that can invoke that sense of me on my best game. Unlike the grey-haired boy that showed up yesterday who was pretty much equal to you in terms of battle skill, you have a charm around you that shows you not only love Pokemon battles, but you love Pokemon in general. That's what makes a Pokemon Trainer a Pokemon Trainer, and let me say: you're on the road to get to the Victressend Conference with that attitude."

"So Ryan was here..." Allen finally took his glasses out from his pocket and pushed them onto his nose. "Anyway, I'm glad to hear that."

Ilima held a hand up, which Asuka picked up as a cue. She walked next to Ilima and handed him a little white box.

"Now... in honor of besting me in battle... I, Trial Captain Ilima, bestow you with the Standard Charm Piece!" He popped the latch and opened the box. Set into the velvet was a crystal-like piece in the shape of half a flower petal. It was white in color and the Charm Piece reflected the field lights. "May you remember this not-so-standard battle we shared whenever you look at your first Charm Piece!"

Allen took the Charm Piece into his fingers and bowed his head down. "Thank you, Ilima!" He grinned and held the Charm Piece up into the air. "I just earned my Standard Charm Piece!" Rockruff jumped onto his shoulder and yipped along with him.

Stephanie held her hand out and noted the precipitation. "And what timing. The rain's stopping!"

Cindy opened the snap on her bag to let Litten's head poke out. "What timing indeed." She turned to Allen. "So, now that we have your first Charm Piece, how about we head back to the Pokemon Center? I bet after that freak rainstorm and battle, you could sure use a nice hot celebration meal!"

"Yeah, that would be-" Before he continued, his stomach filled in the gaps for him. The boy rubbed the back of his neck. "I think that's a yes."

All three friends and Ilima broke into laughter. While the happy vibes were being spread all around, Allen took his Charm Case out and opened the lid. He placed the Standard Charm Piece into divot and grinned. His wooden Charm was still lying pretty in the velvet, and he couldn't help but imagine his first Charm Piece set into the necklace-like item. That would require beating more Trial Captains and a whole lot more battles.

But for now, he was content enjoying his victory with friends.

* * *

 _It's time for Allen's Charm Piece battle! Starting off strong with Stephanie's Rowlet, the Grass Quill Pokemon showed off a serious side as it gave Allen a lead against Trial Captain Ilima! However, the celebration is short-lived as Rowlet ran out of battling energy and it couldn't help anymore. Thankfully, Allen's new and very obedient Rockruff was happy to help for the cause! Using a combination of Rockruff's strength and Allen's strategic thinking, Ilima's Alolan Rattata is down! As Allen celebrates his victory and his first Charm Piece, his quest to earn the remaining eleven pieces he needs to enter the Victressend Conference still burn stronger than ever as the journey continues!_

* * *

A/N: Hello, readers! I'm back on a normal update schedule for the foreseeable future, so don't worry about a potential late update. Anyway, our first serious Pokemon battle! It's been a while since I've written a big battle, so I sure hope it turned out well! Make sure to stay tuned for more and I hope you enjoyed! Until next week~!


	17. What Goes Battling in the Night!

Pokemon Delta Sun and Theta Moon

Written by SkittleBoxx

Episode 17: What Goes Battling in the Night!

* * *

 _A/N: Just thought that this was important enough to put here at the top where everyone can see it smack dab first thing, but as some of you may have noted, I have changed update days from Friday to the weekend. I have involved myself in a high school spring play so I don't get much time on the weekdays to write. Sure hope you understand._

 _When that spring play is over, I plan to keep updates on the weekends. So sorry if you need some DSTM on Friday, I won't have enough time to provide that during the play season and it gives me valuable time to write some last minute tweaks and to proofread my material for the best reading experience._

 _With all that out of the way, I'll let you finally read the chapter you have all been so patiently waiting for. Over these past few weeks, I sincerely thank you for your patience and bearing with my less that consistent schedule and me breaking that promise I made last chapter. You guys are the best, so I thank you again. *hugs*_

* * *

It was dark in the Hau'oli Pokemon Center. Every room was concealed in the pitch black shadow that obscured everything.

Despite that, a little but of a ruckus was being raised in one certain room. The hushed and controlled breathing of one girl didn't disturb a thing, much to her fortune.

Her bed had already been made, and she was already dressed for the day save for her boots she was still slipping on. While hobbling around to get the shoe on, she looked out the window through closed blinds. The sky was moderately dark, yet the golden rays of the rising sun were starting to show. Even a quick glance at her watch conformed her findings: it was about five-thirty in the morning.

Once she slammed her foot down quietly, her boot slid on comfortably. She loosened her wristwatch and strode towards the wooden door. Carefully, she twisted the doorknob and cracked the door open, her heart skipping a beat as the door gave a creak of protest. To her liking, that was the only trouble she faced with the door, so she opened it all the way and stepped outside, closing it behind her as quietly as she opened it.

Even for five-thirty in the morning, where she was expecting the extremely early Pidoves to be already scoffing down breakfast, the Pokemon Center was dead quiet. If she had a pin and let gravity do its work, the sound would be crisp and carry through the air without a hitch. The quiet surrounded her like the darkness: on all sides and inescapable.

Since the room she was just in was on the ground level floor, she didn't need to descend some stairs to get to her destination. When she reached the Pokemon Center's sleek pink countertop, she used the dismal but helpful flash from her watch to locate the screen attached to the desk on the right. She then turned the flash off and opened a panel on the left side of her device, a small card popping out. With two fingers, she slid it out and read the slightly faded label that was once broad and proud.

 _De n v Pl s: a Po eDe f r th P keN v_

She put the thin card onto the glass screen and watched as the colors danced around. Before the machine could belt her name out, she used her hands to cover the microphone in order to keep the silent atmosphere the way it was.

"Well... since there's no Nurse Joy..." She climbed over the desk and reached into a cubby. From there, she fished out an indigo case of sorts and pulled a wooden necklace off of a hook. "...I guess this is allowed... technically." She hopped over the desk again and left the Pokemon Center altogether.

* * *

"Cindy, get up!"

Cindy used her minimal morning energy to flip over and face away from Allen. "No... I'm still tired. Don't hit me with pillows or I swear to Arceus I will scream."

Allen climbed up a rung of the bunk bed's ladder and literally tore her blanket away. "I'm serious, get up! We have an emergency!"

The girl picked Litten up and set the Fire Cat Pokemon onto her like a makeshift blanket. "Gimme my blanket back-"

"Stephanie's missing! She's not here!"

In less than a second, Cindy shot up and jumped down to the floor. "She is?!"

Allen motioned to the bed under where Cindy had been peacefully sleeping. The bed was made quite well, but there were also signs of human activity. On the end table was a white charger for a Devon Company product going by the name in the wire, and the pillow was lopsided a bit. It was clear that Stephanie was here at one point or another, but not anymore.

Cindy grabbed her clothing and looked to Allen's forest green eyes. "Where do you think she went? Do you think she went that far?"

"I don't know," the boy said. "Maybe she decided to take a little walk, maybe she's getting a malasada... I don't know, but I'm certain she didn't go that far. She seems really excited and happy travelling with us, so she wouldn't want to leave us behind to go by herself."

The girl nodded, then headed into another room to get dressed. Meanwhile, Allen sat down in a chair and looked to the door. Surely Stephanie wasn't that far... that's all he hoped.

* * *

Because it was nighttime, the scorching heat of the Alola sun wasn't in effect yet. Stephanie appreciated the slightly cool air- it was like some out of region visitors or new citizens described as a spring day where they came from.

While keeping her pace up, her aquamarine eyes caught the sight of the malasada shop. Of course, with it being around five-thirty in the morning, not many people were going to be eating a fried bread confection. She remembered the sight when Ilima was guiding Allen to the Trainer's School, despite her gaze having been mostly fixed on the Trial Captain. But in less than a day, she really had no more reason to fawn over the young man.

She remembered it clearly: Ilima said that the malasada shop was a few blocks away from the campus grounds. So she didn't stop running. Even though she had a little bit of distance between the school and herself, she could already see the tall central part of the school that housed that loud bell. Stephanie pulled her high blue ponytail tighter as she rounded the bend and the terrain changed from blacktop to a nicely paved walkway.

Since she was now at her destination, she located a tree and leaned against it to catch her breath. The sun was just starting to peek over the horizon. It just lightly brushed the girl's skin, giving her a nice warm sensation. When the sun wasn't smack-dab in the middle of the blue sky, the sun felt very cozy when the sky was orange and red near it while the rest of the rainbow showed itself on the east or west side of the sky.

From her knowledge of Mossdeep City and Hou'omaka Town, Stephanie always noticed that adults woke up at around this time to get ready for work. Since she was at a school building, kids needed adults to teach them. Ilima's age was unknown to her, but she knew that all Trial Captains fell in between an age range: no younger than eleven but no older than twenty. To her, Ilima acted mature and he was tall, not counting her being the shortest out of the group. He was definitely older than sixteen or seventeen if he actually held a job at the school while balancing it with being Trial Captain.

And all that work to dictate that Ilima would be coming up to the school at this time.

Stephanie gave a content sigh, then slid her back down the tree. It was a beautiful morning, and she had no intent on letting that slip away from her.

And right in front of the rising sun was the man she had been seeking.

* * *

In the Pokemon Center, two teenagers were on the main floor and looking around. The lights were on and early risers were already eating the hottest breakfast the Center offered. But Allen and Cindy weren't here to eat: they were here to find Stephanie.

Every nook and cranny was checked. But no sign of the small blue-haired girl.

Cindy, after another check near the cafe, strode up to the desk and put her arms on it. "Excuse me, Nurse Joy, but have you seen someone? She's about..." She held her hand at the same height as her nose. "...this tall. And she has blue hair. She was probably wearing something grey and indigo... have you seen anyone like that?"

"Can't say I have," the nurse answered. "I'm sorry that I can't help, but I wish you good luck in finding your friend."

Allen, who had been listening, sighed. "Darn it... now how are we gonna find Stephanie? If I still had my old PokeGear like I did in Johto, I could've contacted her on her PokeNav."

Nurse Joy perked up a bit. "Wait, did you say she had a PokeNav?" She reached over to the League sign-up screen and picked up a red card with a chip and lots of computer-esc patterns. "This was left here. According to the text if you fill in the blanks, it says DexNav Plus: a PokeDex for the PokeNav." She slid the card forward to Cindy. "This is clearly from a PokeNav Plus."

Cindy took the small valuable into her hands and inspected it. Much of the text was faded, but Nurse Joy had accurately filled in the blanks. When she flipped it over, she gasped upon seeing the writing.

Stephanie's name was written in marker.

"Allen, this is from Stephanie's PokeNav!" She slid the card into a pocket of her bag and looked at the screen, which Litten was inspecting as well. "But... what was her basically PokeDex doing on that screen? Did she lose it?"

Allen came up to the device and ran a finger over the glass. "Well, I used this to sigh up for the League with my PokeDex-" He stopped himself as his eyes went wide. "Wait... I used my PokeDex to sigh up. So Stephanie..."

The girl grabbed Allen's wrist and started a mad dash towards the door. "C'mon, we gotta get to the Trainer's School! Because if Stephanie isn't joking around with us, she just signed up for the Alola League challenge!"

* * *

The two teens ran around the city. Due to the Pokemon Center being a bit far from the Trainer's School, it wasn't just a skip and a hop away. The sun was low in the east and warmed their backs, but they had no time to spare when it came to locating the whereabouts of their friend. Buildings whizzed by them, along with early passerbys that really had something against sleeping in.

Cindy took her PokeTab out (after fumbling in her bag for a bit as Litten liked to hop inside whenever its Trainer would start running) and pulled up the map feature. The school was still off in the distance. Nonetheless, they kept the pace up. Cindy wasn't even in the mood to complain about how tired she was.

After a few more minutes of running, the girl tilted her head up to catch the sight of the tallest part of the Trainer's School. She put the tablet back into her bag and grabbed Allen's hand for a last minute push of speed. Using that one part of physics that related to circles and force, she took a sharp turn at the gate and let go of the boy's hand, hoping that he would find and catch Stephanie while running like a Pokemon using Agility.

Of course, Allen failed spectacularly. He lifted his head up from the ground and quirked an eyebrow at Cindy. "You really thought that was gonna work?" He sat up and pushed his glasses back onto his face. "I don't think centripetal force works like that."

"Hehe... at least we're at a school. Maybe they can teach us how to do that better in case I need you to run really fast." She shrugged.

Allen made a 'snrk' sound like he was trying to contain some laughter. "You're a nerd."

Cindy lowered her hand and hauled Allen back up, where they decided to conserve their energy and simply walk at a slightly sped up pace to the back of the school, where the battlefield was. The sky was starting to light up and there were bands of cirrus clouds floating around, so the lights near the battlefield would surely be off to prevent a stupid use of unneeded energy.

But they stopped once they saw a new light source. One that was green and vibrant, followed by a fiery explosion.

The two teens started running again, where they made it to the battlefield. There was a bush outside the chain link fence, so they decide to make that their base of operations. They could see the whole battlefield from the place they were hiding.

And that included the challengers, Ilima and the blue-haired girl they had been seeking.

A head full of ginger hair popped up with a sharp gasp. "So Stephanie _did_ sign up for the League-"

Allen placed both hands on her head and pushed her back down into the makeshift hiding place. "Shh! I want to see her battle!"

* * *

The feeling of Rowlet flying back down onto her outstretched arm hit Stephanie again. She examined the field, where a Rattata was staring her Pokemon down. She had managed one Pokemon, and now it was the final stretch.

"You doin' good, Rowlet? I know it's hard fighting two Pokemon at once with not that much energy, but do you think you can keep going?" she asked her Pokemon.

The Grass Quill Pokemon chirped with determination still within it.

"Then let's go!" She threw her arm up and shouted, "Razor Leaf, let's do it!"

On the other side of the field, the Trial Captain wearily swung his arm out. "Evade with Quick Attack and use that momentum from dodging to slam into Rowlet!"

As the Alolan Pokemon dodged every sharp leaf that spun its way, it jumped upwards and right towards Rowlet with incredible speed.

"Now use Peck to knock it down!" Stephanie put her arm down and heaved in a breath. "Is this what it feels like to be a Trainer...? Never before did I think it would be this excruciating... this hardcore... and this fun."

Rowlet's beak elongated, then it angled the sharp beak at the Rattata flying its way. It jerked back and forth like a jackhammer, easily knocking the opposition down to the ground again.

Ilima wiped away the sweat on his face. "You remind me of that kid who swung by yesterday... powerful because of a love for Pokemon battles and Pokemon in general." He snapped his fingers. "Use Bite when it comes in close for its next attack!"

"Never in my fourteen year long life did I think I would be standing on a field like this... I guess Allen just... inspired me." She shook her head and pushed both hands out. "Physical contact is what you want, so you're gonna get it! Rowlet, fly down low and get in a Tackle!"

Rowlet substituted the high skies to the low ground, where it dragged low to the ground. Rattata was hunched over eagerly on the other side with its tooth outlined in a bright and crisp white.

Stephanie gave a smirk. "Okay, so when I say the next command, act with lightning speed! Bait Rattata by spinning and putting your wing straight into the line of fire!"

The Grass Quill Pokemon quickly swiped its wing where Rattata could bite it with relative ease. It then looked back to its Trainer.

"And Steel Wing to block and counter!"

Rattata finally lowered its jaw, but a metallic wing prevented it from doing so. Rowlet filled in the blanks by raising its wing and throwing Rattata into the air.

In the bush, Allen gasped. "That's the technique I used with Yungoos! I guess I really did inspire her..."

"And do you see how she's going out there? She's really good at battling, who would've thought?" the girl added.

Back on the field, Stephanie threw her hand up. "Now use Razor Leaf again!"

Rowlet flew back up and shot sharp leaves at the moving target, where they hit said target clearly and sent it back to the ground. Rattata tried to get back up, but it stumbled and fell backwards.

Since there was no referee, Ilima huffed and nodded. "What a battle... what a battle indeed..." He stood back up and smiled. "Great job out there-"

"Yes! Way to go, Stephanie! Woohoo! You're awesome!"

Stephanie turned around and saw Cindy. Her face flamed up to a crazy degree. "C-Cindy?!"

"And Allen!" the boy commented from inside the bush.

"Ahem," the Trial Captain continued, "since you won, I'd like to bestow you with your prize for besting me in battle, the Standard Charm Piece!" He dug into his pocket and placed the small memento in the girl's palm. "Great battle. I look forward to seeing you at the Victressend Conference."

Before Stephanie could do any kind of celebrating, she heard the distinct sound of two sets of legs running towards her. She turned around, and there were her friends.

Cindy motioned to the Charm Piece in her palm. "So, how did you do, Pokemon Trainer Stephanie?"

Stephanie's face reached a new level of red. "Um... fine. But why did you come here?"

"Because I noticed you were missing," Allen explained. "So me and Cindy wanted to find you to make sure that you weren't hurt. But at the Pokemon Center..." He pulled out Stephanie's DexNav card and presented it to her. "We found this, and we kinda deducted that you signed up for the League. So we came here... and lemme say, you're a natural at battles."

The smaller girl took the card back. "Umm... thank you." She stuffed both the Charm Piece and the card into her pack's pocket. "So, you're not mad at me for sneaking out and scaring you guys?"

Allen gave her a broad smile. "Of course not! Anything that helps you enjoy this journey in Alola is fine with us, no mater what time you happen to sign up for the League!" He held a hand up. "Okay, so in celebration of a Pokemon Trainer, a Coordinator, and now our friend who has found both of her destinies, up top!"

The trio of Trainers gave each other a three way high-five, then broke into laughter as they left the battlefield. Stephanie took her belt off and dug into her pack, where her Charm Case was. She pulled out her Standard Charm Piece and set the crystal into the velvet, the fit perfect. After putting the case away and her belt back on, she looked up and let the wind ruffle her hair, a nice cool-off after a well-won battle.

* * *

 _Nighttime can bring strange dreams- as well as an ambition to chase one! Stephanie, after watching Allen's battle with Ilima, snuck out of the Pokemon Center to secretly sign up for the Alola League challenge. On the other side of things, Allen and Cindy went on a wild Stephanie chase to find the whereabouts of their friend. By following the trail of clues, like her DexNav card, they found her- battling Ilima! After winning, Stephanie, along with potentially continuing her Ribbon quest, has a new dream to chase as the journey continues!_

* * *

A/N: Main author's notes above. I know this wasn't heavy in substance, but I hope you enjoyed nonetheless.


	18. Enter Lillie, Mysterious Girl!

Pokemon Delta Sun and Theta Moon

Written by SkittleBoxx

Episode 18: Enter Lillie, Mysterious Girl!

* * *

The next day, Hau'oli City was still busy and booming. And joining the hustle of the day were three teenagers, walking around the city. They had decided that they wouldn't be staying in the biggest city on Melemele Island for much longer, so they planned to do whatever they wanted for the day before they headed back on the road.

After everything was packed up and the room they were staying in all cleaned up for the next bunch of travelers, they started off. Of course, Cindy wanted to take another trip to the mall to take a quick shopping trip with some money her mother had sent her that morning. However, much to Allen and Stephanie's surprise, she didn't buy clothing, but she bought treats for all of them to share. And even before they got to the cookies she bought for later, lunch at the mall's food court was on her.

The day didn't stop there. Right after the break, they were back at it. At the time, they were walking around the Hau'oli City park, a clean and calm area with fountains and benches to relax at. Along with relaxation, there were dirt battlefields that gave Trainers a blood-pumping activity to do.

Once he saw them, Allen ran towards one of the fields and waved his arms above his head. "Hey, guys! They have battlefields here!"

"Awesome!" Cindy called, "not only can you practice your battling skills, but maybe I can come up with some new move combinations for my next Pokemon Contest!" She looked to her right shoulder. "Isn't that right, Litten?"

Litten meowed and licked its nose.

Allen adjusted his silver frames and smiled at Stephanie. "Hey, Steph! Since you're kinda a Pokemon Trainer now, you maybe wanna battle?" He unclipped the Pokeball from his belt and held it up. "It would really help your battle skills, and it's gonna be tons of fun!"

Stephanie instantly gave a small laugh and nodded. "Sure thing! I guess me and Rowlet could use some training for our next battle."

The girl pulled her ponytail tighter, then walked up to her friend. She took the little square opposite of where Allen was already standing and took her Pokeball out.

Like the last time Allen and someone had a battle, Cindy stepped onto the sideline of the battlefield. "Alrighty, it's time for a friendly battle between Allen and Stephanie! Since we all still have one Pokemon, the first Pokemon to knock out the other will win!" She dug into her bag and fished out two pieces of looseleaf paper scrawled with various writings. One seemed to be titled 'move combinations' and the other 'Contest Hall locations'. She clutched the papers and set her arms by her side. "May the best battler win!"

"Pfft. The idea of Allen winning," a semi-familiar voice mocked from behind a tree.

Allen put his hand down and shot a glare towards the tree. "Wait... I know that voice from anywhere..."

From the tree, a boy the same age as Allen walked out. His dark grey hair was still settled in front of his purple eyes. "Of course. It's really a joke if he thinks he's gonna win this thing."

Cindy pointed towards the boy. "Hey, I've seen you before! You're that Raymond kid that Allen has some history with-"

 _"Ryan!"_ he yelled. "My name's Ryan, and I'm way better than Allen!" He cleared his throat as he calmed down. "Ahem... so, how many Charm Pieces have you earned, Al-loser?" He dug into his backpack and took out a purple Charm Case. He popped the lid open and inside was a white crystal piece. "As you can see, I already have one-"

"And so do I." Allen put his green backpack on the ground and reached into it, where he fished out a green case just like Ryan's. "Don't start teasing me now, especially since you don't even know the first thing about me, unlike my actual friends." He opened the lid and proudly showed off his Standard Charm Piece. He adjusted his glasses and glinted them to the sun, so bright that his eyes weren't visible over the white glare. "So don't even start it."

Ryan showed at least some kind of emotion for a second, but then crossed his arms as he recollected himself. "...whatever! I got mine first!"

"I got mine third," Stephanie quietly mused.

The grey-haired boy threw his fists up. _"And_ this one?! I don't even know you but you look like a pitiful Trainer!" He stopped and put a hand to his chin. "Hmm... lemme guess... you look like a Julie."

"Stephanie. But pretty close, I'll give you that."

Allen quirked an eyebrow to his female opponent across the battlefield. "Um, why are you being somewhat nice to Allen? He's a jerk!"

Stephanie merely shrugged her bare shoulders. "I don't know who this guy is."

Ryan shifted his purple eyes left and right, then walked over to Stephanie and gently pushed her out of the way. He took her spot, now directly across from Allen. He took a red and white capsule into his hand and pointed a finger at his childhood rival with the other. "Battle me, right now!"

Instead of backing down or breaking into a sobbing mess like Ryan had dreamed, Allen's face showed even more determination. "Lets." He held his Pokeball out in a similar way and directed his attention to his ginger-haired friend. "Cindy, do the honors."

Cindy stepped forward, raised the papers up, then as swiftly brought the down. "The battle between Allen and Ryan can begin!"

"And it's gonna end with me winning!" Ryan threw his Pokeball out with an impressive overhand throw. "Let's go, Axew!"

"Rockruff, come on out!" Allen shouted in response as he tossed it out.

The two Pokeballs broke open moments later, two streams of plasma spilling out on either side of the field. On one, the small but menacing form of the Tusk Pokemon. Across from it, the hyper yet battle-loving form of the Puppy Pokemon.

Ryan repressed a laugh, but after a few seconds he failed. He had to use a hand to control his laughter. "Oh, it's Rockruff again! You gonna say something and watch it take a nap? I bet you even taught it Rest!"

"This is gonna be different this time," his opponent spoke from the other side. "It's really hard to tell, but this is a new teammate. And lemme tell you, Rockruff it pumped and ready to take Axew down!"

Rockruff growled and yipped to somewhat demonstrate that fierceness. The rocks on its collar started to glow a bright white.

Ryan gave one final chuckle and shook his head. "You're just gonna have to prove it, Al-loser." He regained his composure and swung a hand out. "Alright, start this off with a Dual Chop attack!"

Axew shot off in less than a second. While it ran, the tiny tusks on it started to radiate a green glow.

Allen felt that familiar feeling of his hand shaking, but he ignored that and yelled, "Counter with Rock Throw!"

A colorful orb appeared right in front of Rockruff, then it dissolved into faint sparkles and then sharp pointed rocks. The chunks of earth shot forward with a white glow, squarely nailing the running Tusk Pokemon. The tusks lost their green glow as Axew was thrown backwards from the force.

"And that's how we get things done." Allen adjusted his glasses and stuck his tongue out. "Jealous?"

Ryan scoffed and fisted both of his hands. "Nobody would be jealous of you!" He swung a hand out again. "Dragon Rage, let's go!"

Axew, after standing up, opened its mouth. Inside, a bunch of blue and purple energy gathered in preparation to be channeled towards the opponent. And it did just so after a few seconds, the beam heading straight for Rockruff.

Allen swung a shaking hand out. "Dodge it and use Tackle!"

Rockruff sidestepped out of the Dragon Rage's way, then charged right at Axew. Using the sharp rocks on its collar, it rammed into the Tusk Pokemon and sent it flying back again.

On the side of the field, Cindy hollered in joy. "Alright, Allen!"

Stephanie shuffled next to her friend and grinned. "Allen has such a way of battling... it's like he uses strategy as an offense! I guess smart people _do_ wear glasses-"

"I'm not smart! I'm just a normal fifteen year old boy with an average intelligence!"

Cindy whispered, "that sounded smart..."

Allen bent down to rub Rockruff's furry head. "Great job out there so far! If you keep this up, I bet you can do it!" He stood up and motioned towards the target. "Let's get in close for a Bite attack!"

As Rockruff charged forward and its teeth started to glow white, something got into its way.

"Stop! You're going to hurt it!" a new voice shouted.

Allen looked onto the field, where Rockruff was struggling to skid to a halt. He jumped out into the field and grabbed his Pokemon as he slid on the ground, and when he stopped he looked up.

What was near his head was a bunch of colorful stars that looked like a gas. It had a smile and was simply floating without a care in the world. It made a 'pew' sounding noise as it greeted the boy and his Pokemon.

Just second later, a girl ran forward. "Oh, I'm so sorry for interrupting your battle!" She bowed down. "I really am!"

The boy stood up and dusted himself off as he held Rockruff in his arms. "Hey, no worries! Pokemon are always getting on the loose, it happens." He held a hand out. "Might as well introduce myself. I'm Allen. Future Alola Champion in the making!"

Cindy also joined the mini sewing circle and put a thumb to her chest. "And I'm Cindy! I'm gonna become Alola Top Coordinator!"

"I'm Stephanie," the girl quietly greeted, still standing on the sidelines.

The new girl adjusted her big sunhat and smiled. "Oh... well, my name's Lillie. And this..." She pointed to the Pokemon that called the battle off. "That's the Pokemon I'm looking after." She ran towards it and bent down. "Say hi, Nebby!"

Nebby danced around and made a 'pew' noise.

"Woah, a new Pokemon!" Cindy pulled her PokeDex out and pointed it towards Nebby.

 _Cosmog, the Nebula Pokemon. Its body is made of frail gaseous material. It is sometimes called the child of the stars generations after the ancient peoples of the past coined the name for it, but those people did not know that Cosmog is perhaps a Pokemon from an entire other world. It quickly attaches to anyone, regardless of their intentions._

"Another world... you Alolans are weird." Cindy put the PokeDex back and smiled. "Anyway, we're always glad to make new friends!" She looked down and giggled, where Litten, Rockruff, and Nebby were having fun playing a game of chase.

* * *

"...Amaryllis, are you seeing this?"

Amaryllis, who was sprawled out on the ground, scrambled to sit up and take the binoculars from her teammate. She peered into them and shrugged. "It's a tree, Yareta."

Yareta facepalmed and set both of her hands on Amaryllis' purple-haired head. She turned it a bit to the angle that would give her the best view.

"... _oh!_ It's those kids!" She put the binoculars down. "Whatdaya want with 'em?"

The scientist shoved her hands into her grey lab coat. "Look at the new one. It's that girl that the lady told the boss about and the boss told us about. The one with the obnoxious and flamboyant hat."

Amaryllis shrugged again. "So? What about the girl?"

"The Pokemon she's with. Did you see it?" Yareta asked.

"No."

Yareta tugged at her auburn hair for a second. "Ugh, why was I paired with you? I get that you have to protect me since I don't have any Pokemon... but you're stupid sometimes, you know that?" She cleared her throat and gave the magnifying device back to her teammate. "Look at the girl's Pokemon."

Amaryllis looked into the binoculars again, then nodded. "Mhmm. It's a buncha stars. It's smiling and it looks real happy 'bout somethin'."

The scientist pulled out a thick notebook and flipped to a page full of scientific labels and writing. "That's it! It's the Nebby!" She pointed to a sketch she made. "The Nebula Pokemon that the boss told us about!" She looked down with a hand on her chin. "Now, all we have to do is develop a detailed formulation to create a foolproof system with a contrivance of strongly weaved thread and polypropylene to intercept and secure the Nebula Pokemon int our possession!"

"...what the Distortion? I don't speak Nerdlish, Rets."

Yareta facepalmed again. "We are going to use a net to catch the Cosmog."

The general grunt rose up and gasped. " _OH!_ We're going to steal the Nebby-"

"Arceus, not so loud!" Yareta slapped a hand onto her mouth. "This is why we always fail because of your big mouth!" She settled down and clapped. "Now, get me a net."

* * *

On the battlefield, there was hardly a battle as it was now a meet and greet area. Even Ryan was standing somewhat close to the circle.

"So, you just take care of Nebby?" Allen asked.

Lillie nodded. "Yep. Though I don't think I do a good job... Nebby always finds a way to escape my bag." She bent down and gave a playful stern face. "Don't say you don't, this is the third time today!"

Nebby danced around and laughed with the pew sounds, but somewhat into the jubilation, it stopped as a blue net was thrown around it. It screamed for held as it was dragged away. All five children looked to where Nebby was being taken.

"And you thought that you got rid of us!" The girl with auburn hair jumped out of the tree she was in and laughed.

"Well too bad, too sad! We gonna be here no matter how ya fuss!" The girl with purple hair jumped out of the tree as well, this time with a pressurized device that had fired the net and had dragged Nebby back.

Stephanie ran forward and growled. "You two! Give Lillie her Nebby back, you no-good punks!"

Yareta chuckled and adjusted her lab coat. "Oh look, it's the feisty one! Don't you ever learn?"

Amaryllis snickered. "Yeah, ya dunderhead, we won, so just give up that stern!"

"We're here to reclaim Alola, give Team Skull its rightful place!"

"And we gonna do it right this time, starting by kickin' ya face!"

"Team Skull's Yareta, now with a new and better motto to claim!"

"And don't forget Amaryllis, the brawns, not the brain!"

They leaped together and held a hand above their heads in between them. "Alola's ours, so stand back!"

Stephanie felt her blood boil over. "You're not goin' anywhere without a fight!" She practically ripped her Pokeball off her belt and threw it out. "Rowlet, take the field!"

Cindy thrust an arm out. "Litten, the spotlight's on you!"

Allen looked down at his Pokemon and pointed out. "Rockruff, out and ready!"

Ryan, who was on the sidelines, looked at Lillie and groaned. "Fine." He pointed outwards as well. "Axew, let's do it!"

Amaryllis laughed. "Yer four to one ain't gonna scare us off this time!"

"Not unless we act first!" Stephanie threw a hand forward. "Rowlet, Razor Leaf!"

"Litten, Ember!"

Rockruff, Rock Throw!"

"...fine. Dragon Rage!"

As Yareta squealed and ran away, Amaryllis watched as sharp leaves started shredding the net Nebby was in. Then the net set on fire, Nebby able to escape. The rocks battered and destroyed her net launching device, and the beam of purple energy smacked right into the Team Skull grunt. She fell backwards onto the ground.

Stephanie, who had literally fire blazing in her eyes, started to run up to Amaryllis. The really ear-piercing scream alerted her two friends, prompting them to hold the younger girl back before she bough a boot down on the Team Skull grunt.

Amaryllis stood up and backed up. "Whoa, what is wrong with ya? Ya gone mad!" She dropped the remains of the device. "Fine, I give up! Just don't bother me for the next four days!" She threw her hands up and ran away, the words 'Yareta' echoing into Hau'oli City's streets.

"It's all your fault! You made my life in Hou'omaka Town so miserable!" She wriggled around in her friend's grip.

Cindy gave her friend a tiny smack to the face. "Steph, stop that! I know you hate Team Skull with a burning passion, but even if she's part of Team Skull, we can't hurt her!"

Allen gave her a little slap as well. "What she said. Calm down... you're on a journey now. You don't have to be miserable at Hou'omaka Town anymore."

The smaller girl registered the smacks and stopped flailing around. She felt her friends release their grips on her as she fell the few inches she had been carried up.

The Pokemon Coordinator set a hand on her friend's forehead. "What got into you? I've never seen you go so... berserk."

Stephanie kept her head hung down for a moment. "...you know my deal. They were the ones that prevented me from this journey and meeting you two." She turned to Allen and managed a smile. "Hey... thanks for kinda snapping me outta that rage. I do know that I shouldn't hurt them... but sometimes, it's hard to keep back from changing bad to good."

Allen adjusted his glasses and nodded. "Well, as long as you're not using Rage again, we're fine." He turned to Ryan and smirked. "So... next time we meet, you wanna finish that battle and see me win?"

Ryan shrugged with a scoff. "Whatever. You're just asking for a loss, though."

"It's a deal." Allen turned back to his companions. "So, I think it's time to say goodbye to Hau'oli City and hello to the rest of Alola! Let's go!"

All three friends nodded, then started off. Behind them, they heard a quiet farewell and thank you from Lillie, along with a message that she would see them again. And something about Lillie just told the three that they would be seeing Lillie again real soon.

But why they thought so was a mystery, just like Lillie herself.

* * *

 _Another exciting day in Hau'oli City! Today, Allen and Ryan met up and challenged each other to a battle! However, the victor was never declared as a new Pokemon and girl interrupt. The girl introduced herself as Lillie, and no more about her as she goes to the Pokemon she watches over, Nebby the Cosmog. However, Team Skull grunts Amaryllis and Yareta on on the case, and the managed to steal Nebby! But with the combined powers of the four Pokemon Trainers, Nebby is free and the journey is free to continue!_

* * *

A/N: Hello! Just a note on a future update: next week will be the last weekend I'm spending here, I'm going off to see family during my spring break. So while episode nineteen will be on time, there will likely be NO update in two weeks. With that out of the way, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you next week!


	19. Just Wingin' It!

Pokemon Delta Sun and Theta Moon

Written by SkittleBoxx

Episode 19: Just Wingin' It!

* * *

A big city with tons of things to do was fun, but it was finally time to leave the urban sprawl and experience that adventurous taste of the outside wilderness.

Behind the trio of teenagers, the tall building of Hao'uli City bade the farewell as the greenery that dotted the dirt path up the hill greeted them. After quite a few days in the city filled with fun, two contest debuts, and the making of a new Pokemon Trainer, it was time so see what the rest of Alola held for them.

In her hands, Cindy held up her PokeTab. She was looking at the GPS function. According to the map, there was one other settlement on Alola's littlest island they hadn't visited yet: a small yet cozy town on the side of a cliff so aptly named Cliffside Town. It was tucked behind a huge mountain that had supposedly been carved out by the ancient people of time, and in turn the interior started to host the seeds of life- or more specifically, the life of thousands of yellow flowers. There was also another cave near it- Verdant Cavern, the old trial site of Ilima's when Trials were for hopping across islands, Allen had explained.

But to get to Cliffside Town, they had to climb a slightly slanted road. Cindy wiped her brow and blew outwards. _'I guess they were right: a journey really does get you in shape...'_ she thought.

Despite the challenge that presented itself, she pushed on, along with the two Pokemon Trainers that stood by her. Meanwhile, Litten was causally smirking, probably in pleasure that it wasn't having to trudge up a hill like the tortured shoulder it rode on.

If they were to look off of the left edge of the island, they would see the pale sands of the beaches below. Beyond the beach would be the sparkling sea with Wingull and Pelipper soaring high above the breaking waves. It was the pure image of Alola: the kind of setting Cindy recognized from the postcard she had read in Hearthome City prior to moving to Alola.

Sometimes the route would level out, to which Cindy, Allen, and Stephanie all took advantage of to rest. Beside the road were trees, much like any other route. But the trees were less frequent, giving the three clear views of the ocean and the clouds that lazily drifted over the water from time to time. Every time the path thinned with the edge of the cliff in sight, Cindy would feel a slight pressure at her arm from two nervous hands. It was clear that Stephanie feared the edge.

The three teenagers weren't alone, despite how quiet it was. Above them, white and red Pokemon flew around, along with a Pokemon Cindy recognized from Sinnoh, Starly. When she brought it up to Allen and Stephanie, they showed utter confusion upon hearing that an exotic Pokemon was making home in Alola. Usually, Pokemon from Sinnoh wouldn't be here due to the distance and some adaptability issues. Cindy didn't really care, though. Anything to remind her of her old home made her heart flutter with pleasant memories.

Sometime during the walk, Cindy bumped into something that felt like a human. When she recovered, she saw that Allen and Stephanie had stopped climbing up the gentle hill. Stephanie was bent down with her body close to the earth.

"Um... why'd we stop?" the girl asked.

Stephanie stood up, but this time she had a Pokemon cradled in her arms. "We almost stepped over this poor thing." She held her arms out, to which one of the red and white birds was chirping and peeping at her. "I don't think it can fly. It it could, it would've flown away from us."

Cindy cocked an eyebrow and fished into her pocket. She wrapped her fingers around her red PokeDex, then pulled it out and popped the lid open while aiming it towards the small bird Pokemon.

 _Pikipek, the Woodpecker Pokemon. Pikipek have the ability to strike sixteen times per second with its beak while drilling holes in tree. Along with that, it can also use seeds from leftover meals to further damage trees, embedding the seeds into the bark. It can use the pecking as communication, and it uses the holes it drills into the trees for nesting and storing sparkly objects._

"Huh. So... are these Pokemon common in the Alola region-"

"Oh, you found my Pikipek!" a new voice shouted.

Running towards the three was a young woman. She had pale yellow hair tied up in high twintails, along with a sporty Alolan getup of capris and a ruffled blue shirt with matching sneakers. She had two other Pikipek on her shoulder, one perched on each shoulder.

Allen, the somewhat leader of the group, stepped up with a nudge of the glasses. "Oh, this is your Pikipek?"

"Yep!" She strode forward and snatched the Woodpecker Pokemon from Stephanie's arms. "Thanks for finding Pikipek for me!" Once she had Pikipek in her arms, she gave a big grin. "Oh, how silly of me not introducing myself! I'm Averrie!"

The boy in the group took a step back so he was in line with his travelling buddies. "Well, nice to meet you! I'm Allen..." He motioned to the ginger-haired girl. "This is Cindy..." Finally, he pointed to the double-time worker. "And Stephanie! We're on a journey to become Alola Champion, Top Coordinator, or both!"

Averrie gave a child-like giggle. "Wow, what a fun group! I wanna become a Bird Keeper, just like Kahili! So that's why I have not one, not two, but _three_ Pikipek!"

All three Woodpecker Pokemon chirped in response, perfectly synced.

Cindy looked up in thought. "Who's Kahili...?" She shook her head, her braid whipping with the motions. "Nevermind. So, you want to train Flying Type Pokemon?"

"Yep!" She hung her head down slowly. "But this Pikipek... it can't fly. I think it's sad that a Flying Type Pokemon can't fly!" Her watering, beady blue eyes looked straight into the hearts of the three. "I know we just met and we're not friends or anything... but can you help me teach Pikipek to fly? I can pay you back anything!"

This time, Cindy stepped up to the plate before Allen could. "Hey, you don't need to pay us back! And we're definitely gonna help Pikipek learn to fly!"

Averrie's eyes went from shining with tears to lighting up with life. "R-really?! You're gonna help Pikipek?"

Cindy gave an enthusiastic thumbs-up. "Absolutely! Everyone should be able to experience having fun with Pokemon without any problems!"

The young girl perked up, then ran straight towards Cindy and tackle-hugged her. "Oh, thank you thank you thank you!" She took a step back and extended her arm, which the Pikipek in question was perched. "So, do you have any ideas that can help Pikipek fly?"

"Yep!" Cindy's attention turned from Averrie to Stephanie. She fished a Pokeball from her watermelon-inspired bag and held it up. "Steph, you have Rowlet with you! Since Rowlet is a Flying Type Pokémon, maybe it can teach Pikipek to fly, just like it does!"

Stephanie pulled a capsule device from her belt, then gave an affirmative nod. "Sounds like a plan as good as any." She winded her arm up and lobbed the ball outwards. "Rowlet, take the skies!"

A few seconds later, a pop of the Pokeball formed the plasma shape of the Grass Quill Pokemon. With another blast of flair, Rowlet cooed into the open air and circled around Stephanie before she held her arm out for it to perch onto.

The girl looked at her Pokemon. "Okay, Rowlet. I hope this will be easy for you, but we have a friend who needs your help." She pointed to Averrie and the Pikipek snug in her arms. "You see, Pikipek over there can't fly. So do you think you can teach Pikipek to fly?"

Rowlet held a wing up to its chest, then took off towards Averrie. It hovered near the flightless Woodpecker Pokemon for a while as they chirped and cooed back and forth with each other. Soon enough, Pikipek hopped right out of it's Trainer's arms and onto the ground, where Rowlet followed.

Cindy quirked a quizzical eyebrow at the display. "Uh, how is your plan supposed to work anyway, Steph? Seems a little _too_ simple..."

Stephanie gave her common shrug. "I just figured I'd get Rowlet to fly and Pikipek would follow." She finally turned to face her idol figure while scratching one finger below her nose. "Just like you didn't need to do any bribing or such to kinda become an inspiration to me."

An embarrassed blush spread across the older girl's face. "Oh, wow... I'm not _that_ special..." She shook her head. "So, you're just going off of personal experience...?"

"The simplest things are the ones you know how to do," she responded. She bent her knees down and jumped into the air, also throwing her arm up at the same time. Rowlet went flying through the air and eventually hovered near its Trainer like she had done with her Pokemon multiple times before. "Okay! Rowlet, on the ground! Averrie, set Pikipek next to Rowlet."

Rowlet slowly descended to the ground as Averrie got near the ground to release Pikipek from her arms. The two Flying Type Pokemon hopped next to each other, Rowlet slightly in front of the Woodpecker Pokemon. The two sets of tint beady eyes turned up to the blue-haired girl in control of the situation.

Stephanie moved closer to the Pokemon and sat down near them, legs tucked close to her chest. "Okay. Rowlet, you need to communicate to Pikipek how to use those wings in order to catch the air." She stood up, extended her arms, and started sprinting around while making various "whoosh" sounds with her mouth. She halted to catch her breath as a smile still lingered on her face. "Now you try! Just open those wings and flap!"

Pikipek cocked its head in confusion, but then gave a shrug to the best of its ability and unfurled its crimson and white wings. It lifted them up to the sky it hopefully would be in and brought them down with a great downwards push and leap. It tilted its head down, then started to uncontrollably flap its wings which somehow was working- Pikipek was hovering in the air.

"That's it! Rowlet, use Leafage to help Pikipek stay in the air!" the girl shouted.

Rowlet took the the air where Pikipek was flailing like a Magikarp on a hook. Next to it, its brown plumage turned vibrant green as it flapped and shot a multitude of green leaves forward. The Grass Quill Pokemon then flew around Pikipek over and over again until the leaves were under Pikipek and helping it hover.

Cindy clasped her hands together and squealed. "It's just like a contest combination! Maybe if you keep practicing, you'll win the Ribbon that's at... Whateverever Island!"

"Akala," Allen corrected from the right with a tiny nudge of his silver frames.

Averrie ran forward and gasped a very long and sharp gasp. "Pikipek, you're flying!" She started hopping around while flailing her "wings". "Up and down, up and down!"

Upon seeing its Trainer, Pikipek's face gained a determined light. It eyed the blue sky, then pushed off with its wings. It didn't soar off very high, but it did get some height. The pace it was flapping slowed a bit, and now Pikipek was calmly in the air.

"Pikipek, you're in the air!" Averrie giggled and threw a fist into the air. "This is the best day ever- huh? What's that, past the hill?"

Slowly, everyone turned to wheer Averrie's finger was directing them. On the peak of the hill were two figures, cloaked in shadows. While one was hard to determine, the shadow next to it had long streaming hair. For a second, the white glint of glasses was the only pinch of color the shadow gained.

"'Ey! Them brats are back!" one spoke. The figure turned to the other. "So... do I use the air cannon with the net that will catch Pikipek now?"

The other's facepalm was loud and clear. "Yes. Arceus, you're so dense!"

Cindy stepped forward and put an arm out. She twisted her head back to Averrie. "Averrie, get Stephanie away from this area. Don't ask, just go."

Averrie slowly clasped her hand around one of her arms. "But why-"

"Go!"

The young girl, with some trepidation, grabbed Stephanie's bare arm and darted in the opposite direction. Allen and Cindy could've sworn they saw a slight twitch in an aquamarine eye as their companion was dragged away from the chaos.

A sudden blast interrupted the air as a woven net flew through the air. Both Flying Type Pokemon in the air didn't even have time to change directions as the net had successfully caught them. No matter how hard they struggled and flapped, the net was too strong and prevented a daring escape.

Allen turned to where the net was being dragged towards. He pointed an index finger at the criminals. "You two again! Give those Pokemon back!"

The girl with the net strode out of the shadows, and her auburn hair tied up in a ponytail was finally clear in the daylight. "Give the Pokemon back?" She made a "pfft" sound with her mouth. "How about no? Look at these babies!" She freed the net from the air cannon, held it up with her free hand, and tickled Rowlet under the beak. "Look at them... perfect for scientific research. Maybe we could find out what makes avian Pokemon so streamlined and aerodynamic to resist drag, air resistance, and the atmospheric elements?"

"Ya tell 'em, Rets!" the purple-haired grunt whooped from next to her. "We gonna take these 'ere Pokemon and use 'em for nerd stuff!"

Cindy and Litten both gasped at the same time, but the girl's face darkened to some sort of anger. "Those Pokemon aren't yours, so you don't have the privilege to use them to your own selfish gains!" She threw a straight arm forward, Litten's cue to run out and take its place. "Litten, the spotlight's on you!"

Yareta rolled her eyes and nudged Amaryllis with an elbow. "Amaryllis, she sent out a Pokemon... that's your cue to battle." She stuffed her hand into her lab coat's pocket. "It's necessary if your teammate has no Pokemon..."

Amaryllis leaped forward and took a Pokeball off of her belt before throwing it outwards. "Alright! Salandit, get 'em!"

The Pokeball burst open, and when the plasma settled, a new Pokemon was visible. It was black with red accents, and the head made it look like it was wearing a robber's mask. It's slitted eyes were focused on Litten, and quiet whimpers could be heard from the Fire Cat Pokemon because of that. Cindy took her PokeDex out for the second time that day and aimed it at the Pokemon.

 _Salandit, the Toxic Lizard Pokemon. Salandit uses and burns its body fluids to create a toxic gas. This gas is said to smell sweet to Bug Type Pokemon, which draws them close to where Salandit can attack close range. The females can release pheromones that can attracted even human males. It lives on craggy volcanoes and is said to be very cunning._

Allen adjusted his glasses. "Be careful- Salandit is a Fire Type like Litten. Fire Type moves won't be very effective against it!"

"I've got different plans," the girl said. She pointed towards the net drooped near Yareta's boots. "Litten, I need you to get close to that net and use Ember to burn it!"

Litten nodded, then shot forward towards the net. Before it could spew tiny flames at the net, the Toxic Lizard Pokemon got in the way and shot a vile cloud of green gas at the Fire Cat Pokemon's face.

The boy gasped. "That's Poison Gas! Be careful, if Litten breathes any of that in, it could get poisoned!"

Cindy quickly shouted, "Litten, use Ember now! Aim for that cloud of Poison Gas!"

Before the gas could get into Litten's lungs, it jumped up and shot searing flames out of its mouth. The flames met the gas which resulted in a giant fireball. Some of the wisps of heat reached the net, setting it ablaze. The two kidnapped bird Pokemon flapped around for a bit, then finally freed themselves.

Yareta's eyes filled with fear as she darted behind Amaryllis. "Um... the Pokemon escaped... _do something!"_ She dropped everything as she started running off and up the hill.

Amaryllis looked at the gang of three Pokemon, then gave a nervous smile. "Heh... I think Yareta has my... paycheck." She hastily recalled her Salandit and scowled. "Don'tcha think this is the last time ya best us!" Like her friend, she turned a whole one-eighty and ran off in to the other direction.

Just in time, Averrie ran back with Stephanie in tow. She gasped as she saw her Pikpipek gently fly next to her and settle on her shoulder. "Pikipek! You're safe!" She held it close and giggled. "And you can fly, too!" She turned to the smaller girl. "And I have to thank you and Rowlet! Without you, Pikipek would still be grounded!"

Stephanie rubbed the back of her neck and laughed quietly. "Hehe... it was no biggy."

Averrie then looked to the other two. "I'm so glad I got to meet you guys! Wherever you go, I'll watch! And then when I become a master Bird Keeper, you'll watch me too!"

Allen bent down and ruffled the girl's blonde hair. "It's a promise." He stood back up and looked to his female friends. "Well, shall we go on?"

With a collective nod, the three started back up and walked up the hill with Averrie's goodbyes in the background. Stephanie looked at Rowlet on her shoulder, then picked it up and held it in her arms. She cuddled it closer to her and sighed contently- if Rowlet was this amazing, maybe she could finish both of her goals.

* * *

 _It's time to move on from Hau'oli City and to the rest of Melemele Island! On the way there, they met a young Trainer named Averrie, who wants to become a master Bird Keeper! But the three soon discovered that one of her Pikipek cannot fly, so Stephanie and Rowlet set out to fix that. However, Amaryllis and Yareta still had a bone to pick with our heroes, so they steal Rowlet and Pikipek! Luckily, it's Litten to the rescue as it frees the two and that sent the Skull grunts on their way. With Averrie happy as Pikipek can fly now, it's off to Cliffside Town as the journey continues!_

* * *

A/N: So I'm bad at scheduling... sorry for this huge delay! But it's better late than never, eh? Sure hope you enjoyed and the wait was worth it!


	20. Berry Strange Adventures!

Pokemon Delta Sun and Theta Moon

Written by SkittleBoxx

Episode 20: Berry Sweet Adventures!

* * *

The path that separated the big Hau'oli City and the (probably) peaceful and tiny Cliffside Town was a sloped hill. Not only was it hard to trudge up at times, but it was very long. So when the sun set, Cindy felt her hair already complaining about the state it would be in next morning as camp was set up. Regardless of how often she complained about the lack of a plush mattress, Allen had silently objected by setting camp up.

Cindy had a slight against camping, especially when the tent had space for only two people inside and she had terribly lost the rock-paper-scissors game (mo matter how many 'best of 33's' she called), but she did have to admit: the stars looked beautiful that night, especially after spending so many days inside and even the the bright lights of Hau'oli City would drown out their shine.

It was actually quite soothing being outside, Litten curled up beside her as she focused her shining blue eyes on the stars. It reminded her a bit of Celestiluna City's motto: maybe if she reached up high enough, she could grab a star and touch space with her very own fingers. That brochure also mentioned that along with traditions, Alola was very famous for their space research and the magnificent views one could see when they just looked up. If Cindy had not believed that before, then this would be enough to change her mind.

Just being outside, a quiet purring from the Fire Cat Pokemon along with the minimal sounds of other nighttime creatures... it was relaxing. Different from the low rumble of the occasional car passing by in Hau'oli City. As she listened to the sounds all around her and felt the warm glow of the fire that was set up with the camp, she felt her eyelids grow heavy and the blissful feeling of sleep win her over.

* * *

"La la la... it's time to wake up!" a voice sang, "it's time to wake up and become Alola Top Coordinator, Cindy!"

Cindy removed the pillow from underneath her head and smacked it over her face. She groaned into it while Litten stared at the scene with confusion. Even Stephanie was trying to wake her up. She must've been payed by Allen or something...

She felt a hand on hers, then that hand lift hers away from the border between her and the harsh sunlight. "Cindy, it's time to get up!"

"No," she droned back. "I'm tired... Allen, I swear to Arceus, don't bring a pillow-"

 _Pomf._

"Go away."

 _Pomf._

"Allen, this is getting old."

 _Pomf pomf pomf pomf pomf pomf pomf pomf pomf pomf-_

In less than a second, Cindy sat up and slipped out of her sleeping bag. She swiped Allen's pillow and threw it down after contemplating throwing it off the cliff was a bad idea. "I'm up now! Why do you always do that?!"

Allen laughed with a nudge of his glasses. "We gotta get up, y'know. You can't become Alola Top Coordinator by sleeping, can you?"

Cindy broke into a smile and shook her head. "Alright, you win." She bent down to allow Litten to perch onto her shoulder. "So, what's the plan today? Are we just gonna continue along this path?"

"Yep. Pretty straightforward. But pull out your PokeTab's map, I heard that there's something on this route that we should check out real quick."

A slightly tanned hand reached into the watermelon-esc bag sitting near her dismantled sleeping bag, to which it fished out her tablet device. She swiped screen to the GPS function, then handed the device to Allen for his input on the subject.

Slight humming from Allen filled the open air as he tapped around the PokeTab. "Mhmm... yep! It's along the path we're gonna be walking today." He presented the device back to its owner, and already he had pulled up a description of the place.

The page pulled up was a website (she didn't even want to explain how she was getting internet out here). The header was bold and loud, explaining where they were going- a place called the berry fields. Various pictures were attached, and each picture had a shot of berry bushes, berry trees, berry everythings. Cindy felt herself lick her lips. All the delectable things those berries could be turned into, especially those Alolan malasadas...

"So, why are we stopping by?" the girl inquired, "As delicious as those berries look, is it necessary?"

Stephanie clipped her dark blue belt/pack combo on with a slight nod. "Berries can be used for a lot of things. We can feed our Pokemon, heal them, and what you might be more interested in, they can be turned into delicious treats called Poffins that came to Alola from Sinnoh during our Pokemon Contest revolution."

Cindy snapped her fingers together in a way to say that her blue-haired friend was on the dot. "Exactly! Poffins can be given to Pokemon to keep them healthy and looking good!" She spun around and started a fantasy about herself holding a golden trophy. "Every Top Coordinator uses Poffins! That's why their Pokemon get such high marks!"

Allen used an index finger to perhaps pop the little dream bubble the Top Coordinator Cindy lived. "Great. So, we know why we're going to the berry fields. Me and Steph to make sure our Pokemon are healthy and happy, and Cindy for her contest goals. Without further ado... let's actually do it!" He slung his backpack over his shoulders and grinned. "To the Berry fields!"

"And to make me a Top Coordinator!" Cindy skipped ahead as Litten held on for dear life. "Berries to Poffins, Poffins to Ribbons, and Ribbons to a shining gold trophy with my name!"

"...or mine..." a barely audible voice piped in.

Cindy adjusted her bag and grinned. "Okay! So let's go!"

* * *

It was not as long of a journey that any of the teens were expecting, but in about an hour they were standing in front of a wooden sign that read 'Berry Fields: Grown with Family Love!'.

The trio walked under the sign, and already they could see what seemed like miles upon miles of the field's crop. Trees, bushes, spiraling vines on poles: if a berry could grow on it, then the berry field had it.

Of course, the over-excited Cindy was the first to rush in. She stopped to allow Litten to cease panicking, but that was short-lived as she spun around. "Wow, look at all the Berries! I've never seen so many in my life!"

Allen adjusted his silver frames and laughed at his friend's enthusiasm. "Wow, someone's excited about the Berry fields!" He crossed his arms and took a glance for himself. "I've heard that the owner of this field lets travelers and Pokemon alike take as many Berries as they need as long as they don't destroy the plants. And on top of that, the Berries here are said to be bigger than normal, so you get more bang from your buck! Or... more bang from your Berry in this case..."

Cindy giggled and skipped towards a close by plant. It was leafy and had pink Berries growing on it. "Hey, do any of you guys know what kind of Berry this is?"

"That's a Pecha Berry," Stephanie's quiet voice answered. "According to what I've seen on Pokemon TV programs, Pecha Berries are popular for their poison-curing properties. They're also really sweet and great for Poffins of that flavor." She approached the plant and took a Berry into her hand. "Now, normally a Pecha Berry would be big enough to fit in the palm... but you can see how the owner of the field cares for these Berries. These Berries are huge!"

Litten hopped off of Cindy's shoulder and sniffed the Pecha Berry in Stephanie's hands. It sunk its sharp teeth into the Berry, ears perking up and a wide smile on the unfeeling face of the Fire Cat Pokemon.

"It looks like Litten likes the taste of the Pecha Berry!" Allen joined his two companions in looking at the plant. "So, do you want to see if maybe the owner has a basket we can use? We gotta stock up if we're going to make your Poffins and keep some in case of an emergency."

"Oh, looking for me?" a male's voice asked.

All three teens turned around. In front of them was a man with a basket in his worn, dirty hand. He had a straw hat on and a warm inviting smile.

Allen stepped forward and gave his nervous lopsided grin. "Hey there. So... who are you?"

The man held his unoccupied hand forward. "I'm who you're looking for! I own these fields. You could call me 'owner of the Berry field', but you can call me what all the little kids call me, Barry!"

"Nice to meet you, Barry." The boy of the group gave Barry's hand a firm shake. "My name's Allen, and behind me are Cindy and Stephanie."

Cindy jumped forward with a random pose. "We're here to collect some of you Berries! I want to make some Poffins and Allen right here wants to keep his Pokemon in top form!"

Allen nudged his glasses back up. "So, is that basket for us?"

Barry presented the wicker basket in response. "Yep! I always watch for kids who enter and I get 'em a basket with a Berry book right away!" He stepped aside. "Go ahead and take what you need! Be nice to the plants as they're nice enough to give you the fruits of their labor!"

"We will, sir." Allen handed the basket to Cindy. "Since you really need to burn off all that energy of... whatever you're excited about this time... go ahead and pick what you need. Me and Stephanie will meet you later as we stay behind and take a bit of what we need."

"Alright!" Cindy raised her shoulder to better talk to Litten. "You ready, Litten? You're charge today, I'll let you pick out which Berries you want us to pick and turn into Poffins!"

Litten meowed with a smile and hopped onto the beaten dirt path in from of its Trainer. It sniffed at the ground and dashed off shortly after. Of course, Cindy wasn't too far behind without her Pokemon and her familiar smile whenever anything Pokemon Contest related was going on.

* * *

In an area shaded by the canopies of the Berry trees, a Litten ran about. Its little nose sniffed every Berry tree or bush, and then would move on. Finsing the perfect Berry was not an easy operation, but the Fire Cat Pokemon kept in its mind that from what its Trainer had said, they were in a huge Berry field, the biggest in Alola. So if its perfect Berry wasn't here, then it was pretty much nowhere.

It sniffed around some more, then gravitated towards one bush. On the bush, curling pink Berries with yellow-brown tops grew. It put its nose to the crop and sniffed, then meowed quietly in happiness.

Next, Litten put its sharp teeth on the berry. It was a firm and hard Berry, too hard for the Fire Cat Pokemon to chomp through. In compromise, it used its mouth to tear the Berry off of the bush and set it on the cool ground. It opened its mouth and a few stray embers graced the Berry with their heat. It patted the Berry with its paw to feel the temperate and firmness, then noted it was hotter and less firm due to its Ember. The next step was, of course, to try it.

"Litten!" A few footsteps and yips of pain. "Where are you? You gotta help me, these branches keep scratching me!"

Litten swallowed its bite of Berry and meowed. It then tilted its head up and shot up an Ember like a signal flare.

More rustling and footsteps followed, but eventually a girl with long ginger hair emerged from the bushes. "Litten, there you are! So, have you found us some Berries?" She stopped as she noted the Berry with the missing part in the shape of a hungry mouth, then she bent down and patted her Pokemon's head. "And you already have! Man, I have the best Pokemon ever!"

The Fire Cat Pokemon ignored the comment and started picking off more pink Berries.

Cindy reached into the wicker basket and flipped through the pages of the Berry book that had been provided. "Hmm... what Berry are you eating? Pink and curly..." She dragged her finger over the page and proclaimed, "ah ha! Pink and curly Berries are called Mago Berries!"

Litten kept picking the Berries.

"Ahem... Mago Berries. Falls on the sweet spectrum of the pentagonal flavor chart... whatever that is. The curlier the Berry, the sweeter the taste will be. Can also heal a Pokemon's health unless a Pokemon hates sweet tastes, where it will become confused instead." She shrugged and threw the book back into the basket haphazardly. "Alright, time to start pi-"

"...gonna be so happy," a gruff voice echoed from the trees.

"Yeah. With all this, the Boss will be unstoppable!" another voice responded.

Cindy yelped and ducked behind the bush. She held Litten close to her chest. "...who are those people? And who's this guy named 'Boss'?"

Litten gave no auditory response, but its ears flattened and it cuddled closer to Cindy's chest.

"...well, what are ya waitin' for?! Pick the gosh darn Berries!"

"How is this supposed to help with the Boss's plans?"

"I don't know. We're supposed to pick these and carry them off to Verdant Cavern or something..."

"Verdant Cavern? What does that abandoned Rattata hole have to do with Berries?"

"I don't know! Pick the Berries or Big Sis will get on us... again!"

Cindy, who was still ducked beneath the bushes, kept an ear up as she heard the footsteps vanish. She then sat back up and set Litten down. "What was that? Verdant Cavern... do I know that from somewhere...?" She gasped and scooped up the basket. "That's it! Allen told me that Verdant Cavern was the old Trail-What's-It site! But what _does_ it have to do with Berries... and who were those people..."

Litten licked its paw.

The girl picked up her Pokemon and set it in her watermelon-like bag. "C'mon, Litten! We gotta tell the others about this in case something happens!"

* * *

"We're going on a Berry hunt!"

"...we're going on a Berry hunt."

A happy nudge of the glasses. "We're gonna pick some big ones!"

Stephanie sighed and covered her ears. "Allen, you were made to catch Pokemon, not to sing."

"We're not scared-"

Right in front of them, a concerned ginger voice yelled, _"guys!"_

 _"Ahhh!"_ Allen dropped his basket and hid behind the tiny bushy-haired border. He poked over Stephanie's shoulder and chuckled. "Oh, hey." He strode back in front of her and rubbed his neck, a bright blush dusting his face. "So... what's up with you and Litten? Did you find some Poffin-worthy Berries?"

Cindy presented the basket. "Well, yes, but..." She started frantically waving her arms. "There's a group of people who are gonna use the Berries in Verdant Cavern somehow! I don't know, I just heard some suspicious whispering!"

"But Verdant Cavern's been closed for a year now," Stephanie piped up. "It was open two years ago for Ilima's old Island Trial but ever since all the Rattata and Raticate took over, the Alola Department of I-Don't-Care deemed it unsafe for people. You can't get in, they built a fence around it. Everyone knows that you can't get over fences in one piece. Unless you try really hard an have wire cutters..."

The Coordinator puffed her cheeks out. "I don't know who those people were, but they sounded like they were up to trouble with all their Boss and Big Sis talk. And everyone knows..." She pressed a finger against Stephanie's chest. "Everyone knows that suspicion should always be investigated."

Stephanie took a step back. "I feel like I've heard those titles before..."

Allen stepped in between the girls and adjusted his silver frames. "Let's not fight. I saw that we check out this Verdant Cavern. Beside, Verdant Cavern isn't far from Cliffside Town, so we've got time."

The smaller girl picked up the basket Allen had dropped and handed it back. "Fine, I guess since you're the most leader-ish out of us. I doubt we're gonna find anything, but it's worth a shot."

Cindy felt Litten jump back onto her shoulder. She set her basket down and started the process of transferring all of Litten's Mago Berries into her bag. "So, I guess we're going to Cliffside Town and Verdant Cavern!" She stood up and adjusted her bag. "If we can find out if there's any trouble going on, that's all I want- and also a nice bed in the Pokemon Center."

Allen and Stephanie facepalmed, but then lead the way out of the Berry fields and back onto the hillside path. All the while, Cindy walked along and look at the clear blue waters. What was going on back there, and was there a real threat? She shook her head and focused on what was in front of her, and if she were to look close enough, the pointed roofs of small houses came int o her blue-eyed sight.

* * *

 _The travel to Cliffside Town continues! Along the way, our heroes chose to stop at a Berry field, the biggest in Alola. Cindy and Litten go off by themselves to find Litten's perfect Berry, but sudden whispering from some suspicious voices. When she managed to remeet with her friends, she insists on checking out the place of interest, Verdant Cavern, Ilima's old Island Trial site. Despite a bit of bickering, all three planned to visit Verdant Cavern, just near Cliffside Town. But who did Cindy hear, and were they planning something sinister? The answer unfolds as the journey continues!_

* * *

A/N: I know I'm late, and I apologize... again. I guess I'll bring it up here in case you couldn't tell: I'm _very_ busy during the spring. So in advance, there will probably be some late updates. But anyway... I hope you enjoyed despite the wait, and I'll see you guys next chapter!


	21. In Some Real Cliff-Chief!

Pokemon Delta Sun and Theta Moon

Written by SkittleBoxx

Episode 21: In Some Real Cliff-Chief!

* * *

At last, bathed by the orange glow of the setting sun was the quiet Cliffside Town.

The three travelling teenagers stood on a hill overlooking the town. Although small, Cliffside Town looked peaceful and a nice place to visit. But they didn't have time to look at the town: they were here to be at the town.

In the small community, Cliffside Town was even cozier. There were tons of families eating together and playing, and many younger kids holding farce battles with their Pokemon. Stephanie seemed the most enamored by the display, always smiling and wistfully looking up, probably thinking of her small hometown.

Eventually, the three teens found the orange-roofed building. They walked in, one especially exuberant about finally getting to sleep on a fluffy mattress for the night after nights of camping and hair torture.

That night, as Cindy wrapped herself up in the soft bedding the Pokemon Center provided, her mind went off. Was there really something happening in Verdant Cavern, or was Stephanie right, dismissing it with facts? If there was indeed something happening there and they completely ignored it, what terrible things could happen to Verdant cavern and Cliffside Town? After all, Ilima's old Trial location was a little less than a mile from the quiet town...

But pretty soon, she felt her eyes close. She finally cozied up and let her sleep take grasp of her daytime worries.

* * *

It was still night, but the sun's golden rays were just starting to peak over the horizon. If one were to sit on the edge of the road and dangle their legs off the cliff, the light would be dancing off the water along with the stars that still shined.

However, the crowd of around twenty people around one chain link fence really didn't care about what nature was beckoning them to see.

In the crowd of people that circled one person, the common outfit was any variation of a black and white sleeveless shirt, and black or white shorts seemed popular as well. Over the spectrum of hair in the crowd, hats normal people would deem silly sat upon their heads. Some even had bandannas covering their mouth... for some reason.

The small girl not in the crowd cleared her throat. "So, I guess I'll start with this mission plan's schedule. First, welcome to Verdant Cavern. In case you dense-headed ones out there can't tell, this is where our mission plan begins."

"Yareta!" one grunt yelled without permission, "What the Distortion are we doin' here, anyway?"

Yareta gave a nonchalant nudge of her glasses. "I'll explain that, don't worry." She folded her lab coat-clad arms behind her back. "Let's give a little background. As you all know, Verdant Cavern is the old Trial site of Ilima's used about... oh, three years ago, before they introduced contest and changed up the League system a bit. Anyway, this place has been abandoned for the same time frame." She turned to her following with a smug grin. "That's hopefully what's going to help us."

One female grunt raised her hand. "But aren't there scary Pokemon in there, and isn't it dangerous considering the Alola government shut it down due to health concerns?"

"Well, that's why you go in quick, come out quick." She gave a smile, albeit not the friendliest one. "Just be careful and you should be fine."

"But... you don't really do _anything,_ Miss Yareta."

Yareta scoffed. "I do things! Like planning and researching. Things that the Boss said I was smart enough to do. Besides, I'm _only_ a sixteen year old super genius. Who wants to put someone like that in a physical mission?"

The grunt scoffed in return.

The small girl brushed some long auburn hair away from her eyes. "Okay, serious time. The Boss wants us to go in because there could be some kind of rare treasure in there." She dug into her pocket and nodded as she felt her fingers rub against something small. "Ahah. Although a polycarbonate replica, this should get the message across." In a split second, she thrust her hand into the air.

Between her tiny fingers was a small, eight-faced gem of some sort. It was a dull white and had circle pattern on the front vertex. It caught a gleam off of the rising sun, the light streaking across it.

"Behold, the treasure! Inside Verdant Cavern, there should be tons of these!"

Another raised hand. "What... _is it?"_

Yareta chucked lightly to herself. "Oh, nothing too hard." Her eyes filled with little stars as she rambled, "just a piece of molecules arranged in a homogeneous manner that have arranged themselves into a symmetrical pattern of flat faces, which in turn allow a Pokemon to break down key components of the energy stored in the covalent bonds of the body that organize into a new physical offense!"

Twenty quirked eyebrows.

Yareta facepalmed. "It's a gem that allows a Pokemon to use a powerful move."

The crowd then nodded and was filled with a choir of "ooooohs".

The small girl nodded. "These are called Z-Crystals. This is Normalium Z, to be precise. Now, when this was Ilima's Trial site, it was said that every challenger that got through the Trial would earn one of these Z-Crystals." She pulled her arm down and stuffed the replica Normalium Z into her pocket. "That's where you guys some in. You're going to try and find Normalium Z Crystals in Verdant Cavern! Who knows, there could be one... or a stash..."

The crowd cheered in response.

Yet another raised hand after the whooping had died down. "Um, what do we need the things for?"

Yareta shook her head, auburn hair flowing with her movements. "That's the one thing G never told me. So quite frankly, I have no Arcues-darned clue. My hypothesis is that if the Boss wants Z-Crystals, then he's going to peg me and the other four scientists with how to extract the raw power from the Z-Crystals because he needs the power for something."

She walked down to the crowd of grunts, then handed the nearest one a slip of paper. "Give this to Amaryllis. I sure hope she can read." She then turned to the chain link fence while pulling a Pokeball from her pocket.

The grunt with the note gasped. "You told us all this time you can't train Pokemon!"

Yareta laughed. "This is a different kind of training: the one that involves building and research and sleepless nights called nothing better than science." She used her teeth to pull off a pin, then she chucked the smoking Pokeball forward. "Now _back!"_

he Pokeball made contact with the cold steel, and then a huge fireball consumed the area. When the hazard dissipated, all that was left of the fence was a mangled mess of sharp metal.

"Exploding Pokeballs. Classic." Yareta then thrust her hand forward. _"Let's go, everyone!"_ she commanded as she already saw the blurs of action pass by her.

* * *

Despite the sun literally in her eyes, Cindy woke up without a hitch (or pillows, for that matter). She sat up and stretched, Litten replicating her. Cindy dangled her legs over the edge and found the ladder with her toes, to which she climbed down.

Due to the creaks of protest the ladder made, Allen turned his head to the commotion and whistled. "Woah, Cindy;s up early! And I didn't even have to use a pillow..."

Cindy gave a huge grin and laughed. "Don't worry! Sometimes I'm just eager to get on the road... the title of Alola Top Coordinator waits for no one!"

As Cindy wandered with her day clothes to get dressed in another room, Allen raised an eyebrow. "Funny... Cindy's never this happy, especially when she wakes up. Steph, any ideas whatsoever as to what could be going on?"

Stephanie, who was rapidfire tapping her PokeNav Plus's screen, shrugged off the question. "I don't know. I think you would know better considering you've known her for about three days more than I have." Her aquamarine eyes finally peeled away from the brightly colored screen. "Just a note."

Allen took his frames off and quietly laughed while polishing them. "You stop that sarcastic humor." He placed them back on the bridge of his nose.

"But seriously." The girl slipped the watch back on her wrist. "I remember something back at Hau'oli City. Remember the day after Cindy lost her contest and when we were sitting on that bench?"

The boy nodded in understanding.

"She told us that she really was upset about losing that contest, yet she acted like it was fine," she continued. "Now... you fill in the rest."

Allen crossed his arms and bit his lower lip. "So Cindy's really worried about something maybe happening at Verdant Cavern..." He stared at the only female in the room straight in the eyes. "Okay, I know that you think going to Verdant Cavern will waste time, but I've decided that we just have to go. For Cindy's sake."

Stephanie gave a small nod. "I understand, Allen. If she never finds out what happens- or doesn't happen- she'll be sulking for a while, won't she?"

A few seconds later, the girl of the hour burst out. "I'm ready!" She bent down to let Litten hop onto her shoulder as she pointed her index finger up. "Now let's go to..." Her finger hunched over in defeat. "Umm... where _are_ we going?"

The boy took the map sitting on his bed and unfurled it. "Melemele Island is a bit strange- we're circling around the mountain. When we cross the little bridge, we'll actually end up back in Iki Town, which is great considering I can battle Hala with my Charm Piece with me." He folded the yellowed parchment back up and slipped the square in his back pocket. "But first, we're going to check out Verdant Cavern."

Cindy's face darkened for a second, but she erased it with a painful smile. "Well, whatever you want to do! Right, Litten?"

For once, Litten was silent as it picked up on its Trainer's demeanor.

The two Pokemon Trainers shared a concerned look, but Allen stepped forward and slung his backpack over his shoulder. "Well, I guess we're off!" He stepped out of the room, the two girls following and closing the door.

* * *

It seemed the sound of footsteps pounding against the ground could be heard from Cliffside Town. All the grunts running in and out of Verdant Cavern was beyond counting. The number of Z-Crystals the team of teenage rejects was quite equal to bite from Pokemon.

On a high rock, a taller girl with short purple hair watched. Yareta had seemed very hesitant to let Amaryllis go on the mission when she arrived minutes after the raid had started. When the lower-level grunt asked if it was because she was "stupid and dense" by the scientist's words, Yareta gave no answer, but rather dismissed it as a capacity overload in the cave.

One of the grunts ran to the pile of Z-Crystals near the rock when he caught sight of Amaryllis. He dug into his pocket and handed her a folded up paper. "Miss Yareta requested this to be given to you."

"Rets, huh?" She took the letter and stuffed it in her pocket after reading the contents. "I wonder where she went." Amaryllis jumped off the rock and gasped at the sheer amount of crystals piled under a mesh net for easy getaway after. _"Whoa!_ That's like, a bajillion crystals!"

Another grunt came up and put her hands on her hip. "Actually, around four-hundred ninety. Yareta told me to keep track for some reason." She displayed the clipboard with tiny markings. "She's mean, and you have to work with her. I pity your poor soul."

Amaryllis sighed. "Rets ain't mean at all. She just know what ta do." She pulled out the paper. "See? She uses such nice words like "I swear to Arceus don't" and "I swear if you do this I'll regret it because I have a chance of losing my best fr-"

"Umm..." a quiet male's voice rang as he dumped three Z-Crystals into the pile, "what would Yareta do about those three...?"

On the top of the hill, the shadows obscured the identities of three people. While one looked like they had never heard of a hairbrush and the other the opposite with a nice braid, the smallest one had a sinister glare in their eyes, a mix of red and aqua.

Amaryllis hopped back onto the rock and cupped her hands over her mouth. "Don't come any further! We're trying to steal Z-Crystals from a cave it's illegal to go into!"

 _"Amaryllis!"_ around twenty voices scolded.

 _"Now_ I see why G paired you with Yareta... you're practically hopeless without her..." another grunt mused under his breath.

One of the silhouettes pointed out while the other took a hold of the smaller. "I think that's _two_ reasons to stop you guys today!" They stepped forward and all eyes were instantly bombarded with bright orange hair. "You're not stealing anything on my watch!"

Amaryllis grabbed a Pokeball and smirked. "Aw, it's little pretty Coordinator girl! Whattcha gonna do, use them move combos to beat us with princess points?" A few laughs from below her.

Cindy growled. "absolutely not! Litten, the spotlight's on you!" She turned her head as Litten ran off of her outstretched arm. _"Allen!_ Get Stephanie to calmly command Rowlet to grab the net and bring the What's-It-Crystals to us! Allen, you send out Rockruff and help fend off these thugs!"

Allen gave a salute. "Got it. Rockruff, come on out!" He turned to Stephanie who was bound by their linking elbows. "Steph, get Rowlet out!"

Stephanie tilted her head down further as the fire in her eyes burned hotter. "Right." She took her Pokeall off her belt and chucked it forward. "Rowlet, take the skies!"

In the air, white plasma formed into the shape of the Grass Quill Pokemon while Litten had a partner in the form of the Puppy Pokemon.

At the same time, three grunts, Amaryllis one of them, called, "Salandit, go!"

Three Pokeballs spun in the air and burst, three similar Pokemon staring the two down.

On the hill Stephanie focused on Rowlet. "Rowlet, fly around and find the net the Z-Crystals are on! Once you find it, grab it and ring it to us!"

Cindy thrust a hand forward. "And now it's out turn! Allen, work with me here and fill in a move when I make one! It's like a Double Contest now! Litten, use Ember!"

"And add a Rock Throw to that, Rockruff!"

Litten backed up and shot a multitude of flames forward, while Rockruff's collar glew white and fired jagged rocks forward. The Ember fused with the rocks, flaming stones heading towards the three Salandit. It hit them all squarely and sent them backwards.

Meanwhile, Rowlet used the battle as a distraction and soared around the skies. It cooed when it spotted the net, so it dove down and used its little talons to grab the mesh. It took a while to start up again, but soon Rowlet was flying victoriously with all the stolen Z-Crystals.

One grunt pointed at the heist reversing their heist. "Guys, the Rowlet just took all of our Z-Crystals!"

Cindy shouted, "use this as a distraction and end the battle with a Scratch!"

Litten's longs claws started to glow white, then it raked all three Salandit with the claw. All three sprawled out on the ground, no more energy.

Amaryllis returned her Pokemon, then shouted, "abort mission! Abort mission!" She ran up the hill, and pretty much every grunt followed along.

Cindy rejoined her friends at the top of the hill, then looked at the net. "Whoa, what are these? There are so many!"

"These are Z-Crystals," Allen explained. As for what they do... you'll just have to find that out the fun way."

The girl kept looking at her friend, and she saw a mischievous spark flash in his eye.

Allen took the net and slung it over his shoulder. "Well, that was something. I think we should take these to the Cliffside Town Pokemon Center and have them decide what to do with these."

The girls agreed, then started back to Cliffside Town. All the while, Cindy's mind went off again. The fun way of learning about a Z-Crystal? Whatever this fun way was, she smiled in hopes of seeing it in action one day.

* * *

 _The quiet area of Cliffside Town isn't so quiet today! The villainous thugs known as Team Skull decide to take advantage of the old Trial system by raiding Ilima's old site, where tons of Z-Crystals were said to be. However, the voices Cindy encountered in the Berry Fields were right: a full-blown raid was going on as soon as our heroes got there! Using a skilled system of teamwork, they managed to take the Z-Crystals back and send Team Skull on their way. But what's this way of learning about Z-Crystals? The answer will unfold as the journey continues!_

* * *

A/N: Spring has taken chokehold of me and my writing schedule again (and a glitch that wiped pretty much all my progress a bit back)! Despite these late chapters, I really have to thank you for actually sticking by and waiting! I love you all for that, and I still can't thank you enough.

Two things I would like to say before I sign off, though. First thing: I have a friend named NerdyMcNerdface on the site, and she's currently writing a pretty good fanfiction called Tano Platinum. It's well-written and an original concept never-before seen, so do check it out! It really is an underrated story, and if you're enjoying DSTM I'm sure you'll enjoy an original Sinnoh JourneyFic. Please check it out, I do recommend!

My last thing: have any of you guys heard of a site called Lake Valor? It's a super nice Pokemon forum with many discussions and members who are nothing but friendly. I'm actually a registered user of the site, so if you join, it's one of the ways to actually talk to me! Of course, I'm not the only one who you'll talk to, so I do want some new members to join and make Lake Valor a fun and happy place! If you do, make sure that my username (SkittleBox) is your referrer. I hope to see you guys there!

With those notes out of the way, I sure hope you enjoyed this chapter and stick around for more! Summer is right around the corner, so you'll have to live with potentially one or two more late updates if those happen! Just keep in mind: the summer light is at the end of the tunnel.


	22. Sparking the Future!

Pokemon Delta Sun and Theta Moon

Written by SkittleBoxx

Episode 22: Sparking the Future!

* * *

After the fiasco at Verdant Cavern, the three were off yet again. With the stolen Z-Crystals given to the Cliffside Town Pokemon Center to later be given back to Ilima, nothing was stopping Allen, Cindy, and Stephanie from continuing their journey.

Yet again, the three teenagers started back around the huge mountain that Melemele Island was somewhat famous for. Cindy was striding at the front of the group, of course: all Allen needed to say was that there was something super exciting ahead.

In this case, the boy was right. Not only was the Melemele Mountain (the mountain actually had no name, Melemele Mountain was a widely used pseudonym) known for being right in the middle of the cliffside area, but the inside was fabled to have thousands upon thousands of yellow flowers blooming. Despite the darker than usual area they grew in, the blooms were said to thrive, along with playful Pokemon that huddled around the flowers, like a different form of Oricorio that resembled the flowers.

It was a bit of slow conversation between the three before they all stumbled upon a small opening near the base of the rocky wall next to them. It was too tiny for a human, but not small enough to block off any view of the inside.

Cindy crouched down and peeked in with her curious eyes. "Hmm... I can't see anything interesting from this angle, and I'm too big to get through this opening!"

Allen adjusted the sliver frames perched upon his nose. "Y'know, we could always have Litten look for another entrance. The hole's big enough for Litten to enter, so I think that's the best course of action we can take!"

"Right." The girl let Litten leap off her shoulder, then she held it up. "Litten, do you think you could enter that opening and find us a bigger entrance nearby?"

Litten meowed with a little nod.

The girl squealed, "alrighty then!" She set Litten back down and waved. "Make sure to come back once you find an entrance for us!"

The Fire Cat Pokemon meowed again, then scurried off and through the little hole.

* * *

Right away, Litten spotted that it was on a high rocky cliff. Carefully, it stepped closer to the edge and sat down once it felt like that falling wasn't any danger. Once it took in even less than a second of the scenery, its yellow eyes went as wide as saucers.

In front of it was a huge field of yellow flowers. It seemed to stretch for miles, even too far for the eye to take everything in. Little yellow petals fluttered with the subtle wind that flowed through the holes at the top, along with the romping and playing of the Pokemon that called the inside of the mountain home.

Litten smiled at the view, but the smile vanished. Its Trainer and her friends needed a way into the mountain, and sitting around and relaxing wasn't going to do any good for the mission.

Thankfully, the area Litten entered really wasn't a cliff, but more like a rolling slope for easy access to the blooms below. Litten ran over to the downward slope, but tripped on a loose stone as it ran. It somersaulted and tumbled down the gentle ramp, right into the flowers below (some of them were crushed by Litten in a puff of yellow petals, however). One flower in front drooped down and tickled its nose.

As it got up on its tiny black paws, a new presence replaced the flower. Instead of a soft petal gracing its muzzle, a blur of blue fur and excited yellow eyes stared into the Fire Cat Pokemon's own set.

Litten gave an ear-piecing screech while defying gravity, but the other Pokemon didn't seem to care with that smile still plastered on its face. When Litten landed, it immediately arched its back and hissed, a few dying embers coming loose from its mouth.

The other Pokemon kept up a smile, then rubbed its blue head against it. Litten stopped the defensive posture and attitude. It took a step backwards and took a glance at the Pokemon that had greeted it.

The Pokemon was primarily blue, but had spots of yellow on its forelegs and in the middle of its big ears, along with the pointed tail. Along with blue and yellow, it had areas of black fur near the hind legs and scruffy collar. It still held that happy smile, the short yet prominent fluff bouncing with its breathing.

Litten's face softened as it circled around the new face. When one whole cycle was complete, Litten smiled and meowed in a pleased way. However, it didn't last long as it looked back to the little hole it had squirmed through to get inside. Cindy and her friends still needed a way in.

The Fire Cat Pokemon got the Pokemon's attention and sat on its hind legs. It raised its paws up in the shape of a triangle, then made a little gap by putting its paws together. It then pretended to throw a Pokeball out and pointed back to the hole.

Immediately, the Pokemon perked up and nodded. It bounced along the yellow flowers, only stopping to make sure Litten was following its long black tail. Despite the sudden encounter, Litten had surprisingly put a lot of trust in the strange Pokemon. Maybe it was fate that they were meant to be friends...

* * *

Somewhere on the upper cliffs inside the mountain, rustling in the yellow-flowered bushes. In turn, a head with a cute flower crown appeared. Another head appeared, the yellow petals of the bush sticking in the complimentary purple hair.

"...so, might as well use this opportunity to do something right for once, Amaryllis."

Amaryllis turned her head to the quite annoyed fluff of long auburn hair. "Yeah, I know. But it ain't my fault that them stupid kids came on back an' ruined everything again!"

Yareta slipped her glasses off and started polishing them with her oversized sleeves. "Yes, I know Cinderella, Al, and Stephen or whatever their are names came back, but honestly, it's better to get them young as they're still... well, they're still quite stupid and lacking important intelligence about Pokemon, and even moreso as one of them is a newbie to the Alola region." She nudged the glasses back onto her little nose and blinked to adjust her vision. "Like most things in life, it's about getting things early-"

"'Ey! There's that Fire Cat Pokemon that trots along with the ginger one!" Amaryllis practically jumped out of the bush and furiously pointed. "Look!"

The scientist of the two stood up and focused her eyes in the direction her companion was pointing to. She gasped, "that _is_ Litten!" She tilted her head down to start a brainstorming session. "But why would Litten leave Cinder? And where is Candy and her crew of dimwitted followers?"

Amaryllis shrugged. "Dunno. But I think we should get it...?"

"You think? Of _course_ we're catching the Fire Cat Pokemon!" She giggled to herself, but stopped when her shimmering eyes caught sight of the Pokemon leading Litten around. "Wait... what's...?"

The other girl stayed silent.

"That's a Shinx," she merely whispered. "But... but how? A Sinnohian Pokemon adapted to colder climates and more rugged terrain coming to Alola?! Alola is the complete polar opposite of Sinnoh!" She peered closer at the Shinx. "And it's not even changed from it's normal form! This is perplexing! Usually when a Pokemon immigrates to the Alola region, a different kind of evolution occurs in the species, creating new survival patterns and typing for Pokemon... but this Shinx is completely unchanged from normal!"

A set of curious red eyes stared into pondering glass-covered ones. "Whattareya sayin' rather than Nerdlish, Rets?"

Yareta placed her chin in her hand, the question Amaryllis asked lost in her mind. "Hmm... could it have been taken on a plane to Alola? But then again, there are no airports near here, Hau'oli City is quite a distance away. Maybe released by a Trainer? But... why would someone release such a rare Pokemon?" She tugged at her auburn hair. "Ugh, this doesn't make any sense! _What in Arceus' name is a Shinx doing in Alola?!"_

* * *

Back outside, the three teenagers were still waiting. While Allen and Stephanie chatted quietly with each other, Cindy was leaning against a tree and relishing in the subtle but nice shade it provided against the hot sun. She was also tapping her PokeTab, researching the various Contest Halls that were on other islands. Despite flubbing the only chance to snatch a Ribbon on Melemele Island, there were plenty of Contest Halls on different islands, definitely more than one on each island.

Before she could think of how to actually earn those Ribbons, she heard a familiar meow.

Cindy rushed over to the tiny hole in the mountain, and poking its little head out was Litten. She went down on one knee and laughed. "Litten! So, did you find us a way into the mountain?"

Litten moved aside and into the bright sunlight, and following it was the Pokemon.

Allen and Cindy stopped their chatting to gawk at the Pokemon. Allen even took his glasses off for a quick polish before putting them back on.

"Litten, who's your little friend?" the girl asked. She then turned to the other Pokemon. "I never knew Shinx lived in Alola!"

Stephanie stepped forward, then twisted her head back. "Allen, come look at this. This is... wow."

The boy in the group ran forward and put his hands on his hips. "...I've never seen anything like it. Normally I would know a lot about the Pokemon in the Alola region..." For good measure, he took his PokeDex out and aimed the camera at the Pokemon.

 _Shinx, the Flash Pokemon. Shinx have the ability to contract their muscles and generate electricity. When it is in danger, this Pokemon will glow and dazzle with bright light, which dazes the foe so it can escape unharmed._

Cindy picked the Shinx up and faced her two friends. "I never knew you could find Shinx here! It's a pleasant surprise to see Sinnohian Pokemon appear in the Alola region!"

"Um... that's the problem," Allen responded. "Shinx don't live in Alola."

The Shinx in Cindy's arms wriggled around a bit.

Allen sighed and nudged his glasses back up. "Well, normally. I have no idea what this little one's doing here... if Shinx were to start living in Alola, I would expect an Alolan form to show up considering that it would be really hard for a Shinx to live in Alola. Why this Shinx is here is really beyond me..."

"You know it's bad when the kid in glasses fails to explain something," Stephanie mused quietly.

Cindy shrugged. "I'm not going to ponder on why this cutie is here, but one thing for certain: if it followed Litten out of the cave, it lives here and can show us an entrance!" She set the Shinx down and let Litten climb onto her shoulder. "So, do you think you can find us a way in?"

The Shinx nodded with enthusiasm, then started sprinting off. The three, taking the cue, followed close behind.

* * *

Inside the mountain, two girls romped through the flowers with a net in tow. Good thing nobody was in the mountain with them at the time: their plans would obviously be foiled and it would be incredibly awkward to see two girls hoisting a net above their heads while stepping on pretty flowers.

They stepped onto a dirt path, where Yareta threw the net down onto the ground to clean her glasses. "So, you know the plan? Please say yes..."

"Yep! We spread the net an' snatch 'em up at the door!"

Yareta sighed, "thank Arceus you don't have a Goldeen's memory span. Now..." She pushed her glasses back on and groaned. "The Shinx. Why is it here?"

Amaryllis shrugged. "Dunno. But don't worry 'bout it. Just take it and show it to the Boss. Get rich. Make Team Skull a name to fear."

The scientist shook her head. "It's more about fortifying Team Skull as Alola's powerhouse, Amaryllis. I could perhaps take the Shinx and use the electricity it naturally generates to hopefully see if it's the energy them science team needs to power... the secret project."

"Secret project? What's it about, Rets?"

Yareta facepalmed. "Do you even know the first word of "secret project"? It's a secret!" She blushed. "And... I have no idea either. G just told the science team to find energy sources to see if it's the kind of power we need. That's why we were heisting Verdant Cavern for Z-Crystals: to see if Z-Crystals held that energy. Of course, we never got to test that as _someone_ messed us up..."

Amaryllis puffed her cheeks out with displeasure. "It's not my fault them kids came back!"

The other girl shook her head. "But I wouldn't advise you to worry about it. We've still got many abandoned Island Trial sites that we're finding, so we'll see if those Z-Crystals have the secret spice if future raids for well. But first, we're going to catch that Shinx and those pesky kids. The Shinx will go towards our scientific researching, and we'll just leave the kids to fend for themselves."

"...whatever _that_ mean to me," Amaryllis concluded. She gripped her end of the net tighter and pulled her half of it over the gaping hole in the rocky wall. "I'm just concerned with Team Skull becomin' Alola's top force again."

The scientist finally picked up her end of the net and stretched our her half, the whole net spanning the width of the entrance. "I'm glad you're enthusiastic about Team Skull, but this Shinx goes to our research purposes first." She used one hand to adjusted her glasses. "G was _very_ vague on what energy he needs-"

"Science, shmience. Team Skull first."

"Science first!"

"Team Skull!"

"Science!"

"Team Skull!"

"Science!"

"Ember!"

Before the two could even think of confronting the interrupting voice, a ball of searing hot flames shot straight into the net they were holding. The embers consumed the material fast, the two girls dropping the net to save their hands.

Standing near the entrance, a ginger-haired girl with a determined face. She pointed her index finger forward at the two, a Litten traversing the slightly-tanned skin. "I think neither! Now what are you thugs up to now?"

Amaryllis stomped her foot down, her black and white sneakers putting some of the flames out. "Why do ya keep bargin' in? We're tryin' to steal that Shinx!"

Yareta simply took her glasses off and pinched the bridge of her nose.

Next to Cindy, Allen ran up with the Shinx next to him. "If you're going to try and steal this Shinx, then you're wrong!"

Stephanie said nothing, but her aquamarine eyes flashed with a vengeance.

"Ya kids never learn, do ya? Guess we'll have to settle this the hard way!" She dug into her back pocket and threw her Pokeball out. "Salandit, go!"

Cindy turned her attention to Litten. "Let's do this. Litten, the spotlight's on you!" she shouted to send Litten into action.

As Allen backed up, he almost stumbled over the Shinx rocketing to the front lines with Litten. The two shared a glance, then got into a battle position.

"No type advantages detected on either side," Yareta mused. "Neither Fire or Poison moves affect Electric Types adversely, so you better not mess this up."

Amaryllis rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Salandit, use Smog!"

Salandit leaped into the air, then unleashed a thick cloud of black gas from its mouth. It hit Litten squarely, then the gas blasted everywhere and obscured everything. It was impossible to see.

"Amaryllis!" Yareta coughed out. "You could've waited for me to escape before you attacked!"

Cindy covered her mouth with her elbow and coughed. "Ack, I can't see anything! How are we supposed to see where Salandit is now?"

She then felt a furry creature ram into her legs. Looking down, she saw the Shinx with a determined face.

The girl bent down to better look at the Shinx. "You... you want to help us battle?"

The Flash Pokemon nodded, then charged back into the cloud. It let out a cry, then the darkness was sliced with a yellow beacon.

"Awesome! It's using Spark to act as a lighthouse!" Allen commented from the side. "If it can just locate Salandit, Litten and Shinx will be able to attack it!"

Cindy clasped her hands together. "That's just how a future contest star Pokemon thinks! Now Shinx, locate Salandit! When you see Salandit, unleash that Spark! Litten, when you see Salandit, use Scratch!"

Shinx ran deeper into the cloud, where it then caught sigth of some dreadful evil eyes. Using that as a cue, it hunched down and let out a flash of powerful electric energy. The whole cloud seemed to glow, so Litten was able to see. Once it saw Salandit's form, it charged forward and raked it with its long glowing claws. The Salandit fell over in an instant, no more urge to battle.

Amaryllis recalled her Pokemon and shouted, "why do you always do this?! Run, Rets!" She swiveled around and took hold of Yareta's wrist both of them running off and away.

Cindy bent down and picked up the Shinx. "Wow, that was great! Thanks for helping us, Shinx." She set it down and dug into her bag. "Say... it seems like you enjoy being creative with your moves. So, do you think you'd like to help me on my Pokemon Contest journey?"

The Shnx bounced up and down, then headlong charged into Cindy's bag. Before she could pull out a Pokeball, she saw Shinx's form become plasma and then sucked into something in her bag. The bag wiggled around a bit, then settled. When Cindy grabbed a Pokeball from her bag, she jumped back as Shinx popped out of it.

"Now," she started to her newest team member, "get ready to earn some Ribbons together! I know you'll do great!"

* * *

 _Once again, our heroes set off towards Iki Town. However, things become sidetracked as both the group of three and the Skull grunts saw a Shinx, a Pokemon that's never been seen in Alola before! After leading Allen, Cindy, and Stephanie into the mountain, they awere surprised by Amaryllis and Yareta, wanting to claim Shinx and use to it for Team Skull's terrible plans! This lead to a battle, where Shinx's ability to glow helped Litten and it defeat Salandit. After the battle, Shinx joined Cindy and is ready to help her win some Ribbons! Will this finally give Cindy a chance to earn her first Ribbon? Then answer unfolds as the journey continues!_

* * *

A/N: It's summer! Since semester tests are over, I can finally write again! Thanks for sticking around during the wait, and make sure to stay tuned for more!


	23. Bridging the Knowledge Gap!

Pokemon Delta Sun and Theta Moon

Written by SkittleBoxx

Episode 23: Bridging the Knowledge Gap!

* * *

A/N: It's been a while, hasn't it? I am very well aware that I've used my entire summer (and most of my fall) up and not put out an episode of DSTM. I'll explain..

Real life has been a pain as of late. I have a part time job, many band things I commit to, school... it really limits my time. And the general burnout of writing eighty-thousand words in six months... the perfect storm for what has happened.

But I can't leave this here on Delta Sun and Theta Moon's anniversary. It's hard to believe it's been a whole year, huh?

Don't worry, I'm not going to stop writing this fic. I have many other commitments IRL, but my next one is seeing this fic does reach completion at one point or another. Marching band has come and gone, my grades are good, so I can afford to sit down and celebrate here. So on this special day, I really want to thank you guys for reading, hanging around, and helping make DSTM the fic it is after one entire year. From the bottom of my heart I thank each of you.

Now, where were we?

* * *

Once again, it was back on the trail for the three teenagers.

After the battle with Amaryllis and Yareta, Cindy and her friends were free to enter Melemele Mountain without any threats. Cindy had let Shinx of of its Pokeball to lead them out of the cave, once getting sidetracked by the flowers it would have to leave and darkening its mood with the thought. As a compromise, Cindy picked one yellow flower and tucked it behind Shinx's fluffy ear. The Flash Pokemon seemed to like the idea and the memento, so there were no more troubles when it came to getting to the other side of the flowery paradise.

When they got out of the cave it was near dusk, so all three set up camp again. However, unlike previous views on the route, the ocean cliffs were absent in favor of rocky canyon walls. Around the campfire, Allen showed the girls his map and concluded that they were close to nearing Iki Town again. The fact excited Allen to a degree where he threw his arms up and almost accidentally threw his map into the fire. Luckily, Shinx was there to save the trio for the second time that day by grabbing the map before it was charred and burnt away.

As everyone was asleep, Cindy was sitting up halfway in her sleeping bag. Shinx was curled atop her lap, cooing quietly at the ear rubs it was receiving from its Trainer. Litten was also curled near her feet.

"How did you even get here... it's so strange. Stephanie had said that Pokemon from different regions can live here if adapted through Alola form, but you don't seem to be any different." She lowered her head to smack the pillow, her ginger hair loose from its braid sprawled everywhere. "I guess there are things I'm still learning about Alola, and why you're here is one of them. But like all questions I ask... there's always an answer somewhere."

Shinx shifted a bit.

Cindy smiled and set her hand on the Flash Pokemon's warm fur. "Goodnight, Shinx and Litten. Maybe tomorrow we'll find the answer..."

* * *

Cindy did not find the answer to her question the next morning, but she did receive another thing.

Of course, a pillow hitting her face.

"Oh come on..." she droned as she sat up. Her ginger hair was all sorts of messed up, twigs and leaves lodged in it to boot. "Allen, how long are you going to run this gag? Isn't it old?"

Allen shrugged and set the pillow down. "I mean, it is, but man it's enjoyable. And it gets you up!"

Next to the cunning boy, Stephanie nonchalantly added, "it's a win-win. Win-win situations are the ones we roll with around here."

Cindy hauled herself to her feet and rubbed the remaining sleep out of her eyes. "It's a win-win for you, but not for me..." She shook her head. "Anyway. So, what are we gonna do today, Allen?"

The boy bent down, then pulled his map out from his bag. He unfurled it to its true glory, placing the parchment on the ground so the girls could better observe. "Okay, so we're right here." He put a finger on the map, somewhat behind Melmele Mountain. He then slid his finger down to what looked like a chasm. "This is where we're gonna go today."

"But it's a chasm!" Cindy bent down as well to see the map and let Litten hop onto her shoulder. "We can't cross a chasm, y'know."

Allen grabbed his friend's hand and placed her finger on a tiny detail. "Look."

Cindy removed her finger, and beneath her finger was a long suspension bridge.

"...oh."

Stephanie joined her friends down low and smacked a finger on the area across the bridge. "Look. Once we've crossed the bridge, we'll be north of the Iki Town area. That's where we need to go for that battle with Hala."

The boy wrapped the map back up and adjusted his glasses. "Alright, so we know where we're going today. Now... let's go!" He laughed and spirited ahead of the two girls. "C'mon! The Alola League waits for no one!"

Cindy frantically picked her bag up (where Shinx was lounging at the moment) and didn't even finish braiding her hair. "Hey, you can't get a headstart! That's cheating!"

Meanwhile, Stephanie calmly walked behind the two and laughed. "What funny people. I like them a lot."

* * *

A ways up on the road, the three had managed to bunch back together and were side-by-side like always. Allen and Cindy were still catching their breath from their race, while Stephanie didn't make a sound as she was playing with her PokeNav Plus' settings. Excluding the teenagers, it was quiet save for flocks of bird Pokemon chirping and the wind rusting through the trees.

Cindy turned her head to the cliff of the mountain. Like always, the sea was blue and sparkly. The air smelled faintly of salt due to the wind carrying the water's scent to the cliffside. The girl didn't mind the new smell, though. Anything to experience Alola in its fullest was welcome to her.

Then, a huge wave of birds flew over the cliffside.

"Guys, look!" Cindy's eyes were shining with stars. "Look at all the bird Pokemon!"

Stephanie put her wrist down and observed the spectacle in front of her. "That's a lot of bird Pokemon. I wonder where they came from?"

"Yeah," Allen added, "...those birds aren't of any species I've seen in Alola. Maybe they migrated to Alola."

Cindy watched as one little bird fluttered down somewhat in front of them to peck at the ground. It was primarily gray and had white feathers highlighting it's beady little eyes. The Pokemon hopped a little closer, then turned its head to Cindy.

And then a spark in her mind.

"That's a Starly!" she exclaimed. "I remember them from Sinnoh! Oh, I have to have one!"

Stephanie silently offered, " _another_ Sinnoh Pokemon coming to Alola...? Maybe I should get more sleep..."

The girl set her bag down, then plunged her hand into it. Shinx hopped out of it to let her find a Pokeball, the Flash Pokemon looking quite excited as it caught sight of the Starly.

Meanwhile, Cindy was still searching. PokeTab, Contest Pass, Ribbon Case, Ball Capsules, Seal packets... where was a spare Pokeball when she need it?

Cindy stood up and literally upzipped Allen's bag. "Okay, so I need a Pokeball really quick."

Allen turned around to prohibit her from his bag. "Hey, don't just steal from me!" He noticed the Pokeball in his friend's hand. "Okay. I did not give you permission to take a Pokeball from me, so give it back!" He lunged forward and put his hands on the capsule, trying to tug it away.

"But I need this Starly!"

While all of this fighting was going on, Stephanie booted up her DexNav feature and pointed the tiny camera at the Starly.

 _Starly, the Starling Pokemon. Starly flock in large groups around mounatains and fields due to their individual weakness. Despite this, they can flap their wings with immense power. If you hear a melody that is loud and annoying, a Starly is responsible for the song._

"Give it back!"

"My Starly!"

"I don't want the Starly, I want my Pokeball back!"

Cindy huffed and twisted away with the Pokeball still in her grasp. "You know what? I'm catching this Starly, and you're not gonna stop me- ouch!" She tensed in pain, the Pokeball flying from her hand and rolling on the ground.

Both Allen and Cindy stopped bickering as a tiny pain registered on the back of their heads. Stephanie, with a fistful of green and orange hair, whispered, "argue all you want, but it's not getting us closer to Iki Town."

Allen, after feeling that his messy hair was free, sighed. "...I guess you can have my Pokeball to catch Starly. It's right over there, catching Star- _what?!"_

All three witnessed the Starly transform into bright plasma, then get sucked into the ball. It shook around for a bit, then the red button stopped flashing.

"...congrats, you caught a Starly," Cindy merely offered.

Allen slowly approached the ball on the ground. He took it into his hands, then rotated it towards the button end. A quiet push of the button morphed into the loud noises of a Pokemon materializing from the capsule device. The Pokemon that stared at him in the eyes was indeed Starly.

"Um... hey. So..." He nervously gestured to Cindy. "She was the one who... wanted you. Go... visit?"

Starly hopped towards Cindy a few times, but then it turned a complete one-eighty and flew into Allen's arms.

Cindy took a step forward and chuckled. "Well, I guess Starly really _is_ yours now."

Allen quirked an eyebrow. "Didn't you want Starly? I could surely give it to you still."

"Nah, that won't be necessary," the responce came, "I mean, look at how happy Starly is with you! I can't possibly bear to take Starly away from you if it loves you that much already!"

Stephanie also took a step forward to match Cindy's position. "And I hear that Pokemon with close bonds to their Trainers do better in battle. If I were you, I'd keep the Starly for Hala's battle."

The boy managed to wrangle Starly into his arms. "And I hear that Hala's Pokemon are Fighting Types, which are weak against a Flying Type Starly." He stood up and smiled. "Well, there's no reason to let this little one go right now." He lifted the arm Starly was perched on and adjusted his glasses. "I guess you deserve a warm welcome to the team, Starly."

Starly quickly flew off of Allen's arm and swirled around him. It tweeted in high-pitched songs that were akin to joy.

"So a Starly in Alola," a new voice said. "That's really cool. Lucky you for catching it."

Stephanie focused her currently nonchalant aquamarine eyes on the speaker. "We seem to meet a lot of people through conversation starters..."

Allen held his arm out for Starly to hopefully land on it, to which it did. He strode up to the new person and nervously grinned. "Uh, hey there. Do you need anything?"

The young man in question swept his unkempt red hair back. "Not really. I was just curious on how you obtained that Starly in Alola." He stopped and rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh, where are my manners? I'm Robert. Just travelin' around the region, learning... you know, boring stuff."

Cindy skipped up to Robert. "Well it's nice to meet you!"

Robert patted Cindy's head and laughed. "So, do you think you could tell me more about a Sinnoh Pokemon in Alola? I'd really like to catch my own non-Alola Pokemon."

* * *

Meanwhile, two heads poked out of a bush. Although her auburn hair was matted by twigs and leaves, the binoculars she was peering into remained her main priority.

A few pokes on the shoulder. "Yareta, what are we lookin' at?"

Yareta turned to face her less-than-bright teammate and sighed. "Didn't you see? That was a Starly!" She tossed the object behind her shoulder and sank into the bush. "One Sinnohian Pokemon popping up in Alola is strange, but this is just ridiculous. What is going on?"

Amaryllis gave a shrug.

"But I guess that doesn't matter now," she mused, "all will be explained in due time. But our goal right now..." Yareta crawled out of the bush and brushed the dirt off of her long white coat. "We need one of those Starly. My hypothesis is that these Sinnohian Pokemon have to do something with what G wants me and the three other scientists to do. But what that is... that's the tricky part."

The purple-haired girl shrugged once more. "Or we can catch the Starly. Make 'em fight for Team Skull or somethin'."

Yareta facepalmed. "No." She grabbed her less-than-sharp partner in crime and dragged her off. "C'mon, lets find out where you left the net cannon this time..."

* * *

On the path, it looked more like a sewing circle rather than a Pokemon journey. Each teen (including the new friend) was sitting criss-cross applesauce and exchanging facts about whatever they knew about the strange Sinnoh Pokemon occurrences.

"...and that's how I found Shinx."

Robert cupped his chin in his hand, a quizzical expression painted on his face. "So, it followed Litten out of the Melemele Mountain? Interesting..." He twisted back and fetched a pencil and yellow notepad. "Anything else?"

Allen motioned towards Starly, who was perched on his head. "Just today we found Starly. A whole flock of them! Do you think they could've migrated?"

Stephanie gave a nod. "I hear that in regions with nice summers and cold winters the bird Pokemon fly together to warmer regions, like Hoenn. Alola is just like Hoenn climate wise so maybe Allen has a point."

"But Sinnoh is so far from Alola," Robert added. "Those poor Starly would fall out of the sky before they even reached the halfway point." He jotted down some more notes. "This is most peculiar indeed..."

"Say, why are you writing all of this down?" Cindy craned her neck a bit to better read the notepad. "Are you a scientist?"

Robert laughed and waved a dismissive hand. "No, far from it. But I'd like to become a Pokemon Professor one day."

The forest-haired boy smiled. "I guess this isn't the last time we'll be seeing each other then? You're pretty cool, and you would make an even cooler Pokemon Professor!"

"Oh, you flatter me." Robert stood up and dusted his jeans off. He then turned to the shorter boy. "Say Allen, think you could get Starly to fly around for a bit?"

Allen adjusted his glasses nervously. "Um... why?"

Robert swung a hand to the blue open sky. "You should know that each Pokemon is different, even Pokemon from the same species. Some are stronger than others..." He put the hand down. "I'm curious to see if your Starly is "better" than other Starly. If it is better at flying, maybe it did fly here from Sinnoh." He rbbed the back of his neck. "Or... something like that."

"Okay then." Allen took Starly off of his head and held it up. "Starly, show us some of that awesome flying agility!"

Starly chirped, then took off like a rocket. It swerved, swirled, and swished everywhere around them, even above the girls' heads which got delighted squeals out of them. However, Robert seemed unfazed.

Robert took his trusted notepad and wrote some things down. "Your Starly sure is agile, but I guess my first assumption was right: even with a fast Starly like yours, this little thing couldn't have flown here." He sighed. "Storms, winds, and unfamiliar terrain... a Starly would perish even if it got here. So why is it here?"

Allen opened his mouth to make another guess, but he was stopped by a loud blast behind him. A white blur flew by, but it hit Starly. As soon as it came, it whipped back but with Starly now in a net. All four travelers, after recovering from the shock, turned around to see two figures on the cliff above them.

"Don't question why it's here, but what we're going to do with it!" The tiny figure with the long blowing hair laughed and grabbed the net from the air cannon. "Guess you don't need to worry about it anymore!"

Cindy smashed her foot down and yelled, "you guys again! That's Allen's Starly, so give it back!"

Amaryllis laughed. "Playin' nice wit the kids? No way in Distortion!" She jumped down from the high ground and pulled out a Pokeball. Unless ya wanna fight for it."

Allen stepped forward and shouted, "then lets!" He quickly snatched the Pokeball on his belt and lobbed it out. "Rockruff, let's go!"

"Salandit, pummel these punks!"

Both Pokeballs broke open, the white material rushing out and revealing each Pokemon.

On the sidelines, Robert turned to Cindy. "You know these punks?"

Cindy nodded. "Those are Yareta and Amaryllis. Two Team Skull punks that won't leave us and our Pokemon alone."

"Salandit, use Poison Gas!"

The Toxic Lizard Pokemon took a deep breath in, then out came a hazy purple cloud that quickly enveloped the whole battle area.

Allen covered his mouth and coughed. "Ack, I can't see! Rockruff, try and find Salandit!

On the higher grounds, Yareta smirked at Starly in the net she held. "Well look at that, buddy. Looks like you can't go back to that wimp. Besides..." Her eyes widened to an unreal level. "You're going to help with scientific breakthroughs! Isn't that exciting!?"

Starly chirped nervously, then turned to the battle. Its eyes narrowed at the sight of Allen struggling to keep the battle tipped in his favor. Almost instantly, both of its wings started to glow a stark white.

Yareta had no time to drop the net as Starly cut through the threads and smacked her in the face. With one enemy down, it flew down with the wings still glowing and started spiraling around the gaseous battleground.

Cindy jumped up with a fist in the air. "All right, Starly's free and helping Allen win!"

Stephanie, although not sharing her friend's level of enthusiasm, smiled and giggled. "I wonder what Starly will do to help?"

Robert kept quiet, but was also smiling.

Starly kept flying around the battlefield as a mere white streak until each person caught onto Starly's plan. Instead of a pure white, the glowing wings were slowly morphing into a purple as the smoke on the battlefield vanished. It flew straight up after everything was clear, and the purple energy dissipated.

Allen gasped in awe. "Starly just used Wing Attack to absorb all the gas and clear the field!" He smirked and thrust a hand out. "Rockruff, use Tackle! Starly, let 'em have another Wing Attack!"

Amaryllis gulped. "This don't look good..."

Both of Allen's Pokemon gave each other a nod, then changed into action. At the exact same time, Rockruff rammed into the Toxic Lizard Pokemon with its rocky collar and Starly smashed a glowing white wing against the opposition. The Salandit flew backwards quite a bit and landed, no more energy to fight.

The purple-haired Skull grunt held a Pokeball up and started running. "Rets, get yer stuff together! Stop nappin' on the ground and let's get outta here!"

Yareta, equally as panicked, got up and grabbed her partner's hand to be dragged along. "I never sleep for science, darn it!" Soon enough, their bickering voices were lost to the distance.

Allen held an arm out for Starly to land on it. "Nice save, Starly. I guess you really wanna help me beat Hala!" He rubbed under its chin with a finger and laughed. "Besides, Cindy isn't as cool as me, right?"

"Hey, I heard that!"

The boy broke into more laughter, then turned to Robert. "Sorry we couldn't help you figure out why Starly is here."

Robert shook his head. "Don't worry about it, kid. As long as Starly is happy with you, that's all that matters. Besides, if I wanna become a Pokemon Professor, I'm going to have to do my own digging on this."

Cindy caught up with the group and looked at Allen. "So, are we ready to see Hala and get that Charm Piece?" She turned to the other girl. "And you too, Stephanie?"

Stephanie put a hand on her hip and smirked. "Me and Allen are as ready as we'll ever be. With another teammate, Allen can't lose this."

The ginger-haired girl held her hand out to Robert. "It was fun hanging out with you, Robbie!"

"Robbie, eh..." He took her hand and firmly shook it. "Won't argue with new friends. It was nice hanging out with you three as well." He stuffed his hands back into his pocket. "I wish both of you luck in your Grand Trial battle." He gave a shy smile. "Well... I guess we'll see each other later?"

"Yep!" Cindy gave a peppy thumbs up. "And good luck trying to find out these mysteries!" She turned back to her squad. "Alright, now let's go! Your Charm Pieces are waiting for you two!"

The three started off again, then waved the final goodbye for now to Robert as they crossed the long wooden suspension bridge. With Cindy leading the way, Allen and Stephanie stayed back a little. Both of them were silent, but they shared a determined nod as they continued towards their destination: Iki Town and their Charm Pieces.

* * *

 _Another day, another Pokemon! Right after finding a Pokemon from Sinnoh in the Alola region, our heroes stumbled upon another, the Flying Type Starly! After a fight, Allen ended up catching Starly by accident but is happy to add a new team member. They met Robert, an aspiring Pokemon Professor who tried to help all of them get to the bottom of the mystery, but to no avail. However, Amaryllis and Yareta came back once again to ruin the fun! But with Starly's help, the Skull Grunts were sent on their way, and our heroes continue on their own to Iki Town, where a crucial battle with Hala- and two new Charm Pieces- are waiting for them. Will Starly help Allen get one step closer to Alola Champion? The answer unfolds as the journey continues!_

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A/N: Like I said above, thanks for reading and happy one year anniversary, DSTM!


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